Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

The Police Commissioner versus the Acting Police Commissioner DEAR EDITOR; It is with utmost disgust that I read of the “Turmoil at the top of Police Force” (KN November, 16, 2016). I am disgusted but not surprised at the attitude of the Commissioner of Police to the former acting Commissioner. Editor, it would be interesting to know if in the same way that Seelall Persaud reportedly intends to rescind the promotions of the hard working ranks caught in the middle, if those dismissed for indiscipline will be reinstated because Ramnarine was not properly authorised by President Granger. What is really going on in the police force? I expected to hear from Constitutional expert Clinton Conway on this one, but better late than never. If the government gets to the root of this problem it would find that a shallow and inelegant individual is leading the force into disrepute, and by his very actions is bent on serving

his own peculiar agenda which includes surviving beyond retirement. I read of a police inspector being transferred, but what of another inspector who was reduced in rank (fortunately he has been promoted) because it was felt that he offended the son of a senior officer’s friend? It would be interesting to know what would have been the situation with promotion if Persaud was on one year’s leave. As far as I can recall, it has not been the practice in the past for His Excellency to give instruments of authority for anyone to act as Commissioner. So one wonders where this sudden interest in the Constitution comes from. Editor, the Minister of Public Security has to shoulder some of the blame for this imbroglio, because if he was really in charge, this nonsense would not have been playing out in the public domain to the detriment of morale in the Guyana Police Force. Retired Superintendent

Why have these destroyed young people so cruelly? DEAR EDITOR; I had no clue that Guyana was incarcerating children and teenagers for wandering until I read the Freddie Kissoon column, “Wandering, wondering, wanderlust and the Overdeveloped State” in your newspaper yesterday. I would like to share with those who didn’t read that column the following passage; “The Rights of the Child Commission and the Women and Gender Equality Commission want the criminal charge of wandering to be removed from the statute books. The statistics on incarceration from wandering vividly brings into focus the role of the Overdeveloped State. According to Commissioner Nicole Cole, 70 percent of the youths in confinement at the New Opportunity Corp (NOC) have been arrested by the

police for wandering. This makes you wonder if the Overdeveloped State ever changed even in minimal ways since Independence 50 years ago. Cole goes on to say hairraising things which no doubt causes you to wonder about whether the Overdeveloped State will ever wither away (one of the seminal predictions of Karl Marx) from Guyana. She stated that the police just pick up these boys and girls, charge them with wandering and they end up in the NOC. These children, according to Cole, on being arrested were not afforded opportunities to seek legal assistance. It goes without saying that these boys and girls are all from working class families and most likely in low income areas. What is important to note about the Overdeveloped State is that it is coercive and not concerned with the provision of service. Relevant here is to note that

Cole said that the children are not allowed legal help when picked and there is no provision for psychological treatment while at the NOC. Reminds you of Alavi’s assertion that security and coercion are what drive the Overdeveloped State not service. So 50 years after Independence, we still arrest poor people’s offspring with the criminal offence of wandering. Makes you wonder; how does one cope with living with the Overdeveloped State.” Well, Mr Harris, I cannot express how I feel about what I have quoted above. I functioned in the area of social work, long before I migrated, and in my time, I knew that the parents would have been contacted. What Freddie Kissoon quotes Ms. Cole as saying needs immediate investigation. Are you telling me these children are picked up and just dumped into the NOC without being charged and given a hearing in front

My reasons for not including Shivnarine Chanderpaul DEAR EDITOR; Kindly allow me some space in your newspaper for this letter. The Guyana Cricket Board recently successfully run off their three day franchise cricket league for teams in Guyana with the Lower Corentyne team winning the competition. It was a well run tournament and a number of young cricketers came to the fore and this can only auger well for Guyana and West Indies cricket. Kudos are in order to the selectors and administrators of the Guyana Cricket Board. I am sure the objective of this tournament is to select the best possible team to represent Guyana at the Regional four day franchise league. With this in mind I would like to help the selectors to select the best team so that Guyana can win the tournament this year again. My team will be (1) Leon Johnson – captain, (2) Tagenarine Chanderpaul, (3) Kandasammy Surujnarine, (4) Rajendra Chandrika, (5) Shimrom Hetmyer, (6) Assad Fudadin, (7) Vishal Singh-vice captain, (8)

Jonathan Foo, (9) Chandrapaul Hemraj, (10) Anthony Bramble, (11) Verasammy Permaul, (12) Devendra Bishoo, (13) Gudakesh Motie, (14), Eon Hooper (15) Ronsford Beaton, (16) Keon Joseph, (17) Romario Shepherd. I know my team will raise a lot of eyebrows but my take is that the team should be selected based on performance in the franchise league and not on the only practice match. Also it is time that Shivnarine Chanderpaul call it a day. He has served Guyana and West Indies cricket with distinction and it’s time for him to serve in another capacity, probably as a consultant or mentor. As for Christopher Barnwell; he has been given too many opportunities and has failed miserably. In any case he is not four day or test material. I won’t have a problem if he is selected in the one day or 20/20 squad. As for Raymon Reifer he cannot replace anyone in that side. Everyone is better than him in that side. Editor, I am sure if the selectors pick this squad Guyana will definitely win the Regional Tournament again. Over to you selectors. Imtiaz Bacchus

of a magistrate? I can tell you Mr. Harris, I am no philosopher so I don’t understand all the philosophical stuff that Mr. Kissoon pours out so regularly in his column. Some I pay attention to because it educates you, some I think you need training in philosophy to understand, and some the normal mind just cannot understand, and I count myself as having a normal mind. When you understand what Kissoon says, you are certainly enlightened about what takes place in Guyana. I hope Mr. Kissoon doesn’t get me wrong. You don’t want to take on Mr. Kissoon. He never stops and you will never win. I want him to know though he writes about philosophical subjects which are difficult to comprehend; I do admire his life greatly. I will not research what the Overdeveloped State means. I don’t live in Guyana and have no interest in the science of politics, but I am still to recover from the article’s highlight of children being charged and sent to the NOC for wandering without their parents appearing in front of a magistrate. If Mr. Kissoon has republished accurately what Ms. Cole has said, then why has there been an ongoing debate as to why we continue to have so many young people committing criminal robberies? It isn’t self-evident. You destroy these children when you lock them up just because they couldn’t stand what was taking place in their homes day in, night in and they leave. Not because you see them on the streets looking disoriented that gives the police the right to put them in the NOC for months and years. When they come out, they are different from when they went in. When they went in they were in need of Continued on page 6

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The nation needs to know we are into “Road Safety Month” DEAR EDITOR; “Emphasised that Government sees it as a citizen’s duty to be responsible, noting that having responsible citizenry is not something that is abstract or too philosophical to become reality.” The above quote, with great respect, certainly achieves being abstract, and hardly a philosophy relevant to the mayhem occurring on the roads, partly as a result of the rigid stance of the ‘uniformed citizenry’ who are responsible for the palpable mismanagement of road transportation a substantive contributory factor to the destruction of lives and limbs. Not the only evidence of this attitude of “non” if not (ir) responsibility is the very proclamation by the subject Minister in curiously disconnecting the ‘official citizenry’ from ‘civilian citizenry’ (alive or dead). One tries hard to grapple with the annual repetition of the data (increase/decrease) deafeningly indicating that they defy intelligent analysis, say, as to trends: locations; poor road engineering; lighting; wrong or no signal (there are still one way streets without signs); time (night or day), weather; mechanical defects; and perhaps most critically, the easy access to licences by untrained drivers, particularly of public transportation. Meanwhile, the captive audience being addressed – the National Road Safety Council - does not appear to respond to the insistence on their being responsible. For annually out of their collective (or selective) wisdom comes a deafening silence. When the 2016 lot was installed recently, they heard shouts about fatalities being the worst in the Caribbean. Yet it is not known so far whether any of the parties involved have thought of following through on the logic of going to learn what it is the Caribbean is doing better. Ha! The following question is attributed to the subject Minister “What should be done?” The quick answer is that the Council and the ‘uniformed citizenry’ at a workshop that must include, among others, owners of public transport, insurance companies, the licensing authorities, Taxi and Minibus Drivers’ Associations’, plus doctors who must tend to the uncounted injured and those deformed for life, must deliberate for two/three days (and nights even), and develop a Safe Road Transportation Plan. The exercise may well involve inspections of various areas, on which practical evaluations can be made of risks and dangers. One thing will be quickly noted - the infrequency of speed limit signs, which really are not effective, particularly since the notices indicate the same limits for all types of vehicles. I really don’t think I am going too fast. I have said all this before to the ‘uniformed citizenry’ who continue to disclaim responsibility. E.B. John

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

GuySuCo must cut the enormous Mr. Granger’s comfort for his military privileges of its managers world will pose a problem for him DEAR EDITOR; It is with growing concerns that I am penning this letter to your newspaper, so as to give my view on the sugar industry. With all that is being said and done, we need to understand that the sugar industry is not viable anymore. We the citizens need to understand that it is not this government that is causing the problems in the industry. But we all know of the cut from the EU back in the years that posed a serious threat within. Some of the things that also caused the industry to be in this crisis, is the poor management by the previous government and bad administration from GuySuCo management. Over the past fifteen years or so, workers were denied several packages from the PPP government. GAWU, who we all know is in bed with the PPP, did not represent the rights of the workers in a fair and timely manner. It is my belief that many cases was sold out by the union, all because the President of GAWU is a strong PPP member and MP. As I move around workers reps are telling workers that this government wants to kill the sugar industry. Well those are the same reps that join with GAWU to sellout the rights of the workers over the past years. Indeed workers deserve better wages\salaries, working conditions and health care. How can an ailing industry that makes no profit expand resources and benefits without money\profit? GAWU and the PPP know that the industry is not profitable long now, but still fooling the workers. How long will the Government continue to bailout GuySuCo with billions of dollars on a yearly

basis? Can Guyana afford to put all those monies into a dying industry? Will the country generate the amount of revenues needed to keep the industry going? The time Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP took to invest billions of dollars on the socalled Skeldon Modernization Project they should have thought of the future of the Industry and the workers. They should have ensured that the monies they spent there on a white elephant be put into a special fund for the workers. We cannot blame the sugar workers for the fall of the industry. We have to blame the leaders of GuySuCo over the years for poor management. We cannot continue to have the bad management that is taking place in GuySuCo at the moment. Workers are complaining of being pressured by some managers all because of the change of government. I have received such report from workers at Blairmont Estate over the past months, whereby managers of the estate use all sort of remarks from political to racial towards the workers. They will deny workers their rights to work for a fair wage. GAWU is also doing same by calling unwanted strikes on a regular basis. GuySuCo administrators and the Minister of Agriculture must understand that Estate Managers cannot live a millionaire lifestyle provided by GuySuCo, when the sugar workers are crying and the industry is going down. Government especially the Minister of Agriculture must act now by cutting some of the benefits that the managers are enjoying to date in a failed industry. Why is it that a dying GuySuCo still have to provide window

Why have these destroyed... From page 5 help. When they come out, God help the society. I like outside of Guyana and I am making a special appeal to the Guyanese people stop this destruction of our young children. How could we have destroyed them so cruelly as described by Ms. Cole. I am not due to come to Guyana for another two years but I may very well hasten my trip. My Lord, Mr. Harris, what has my country come to? Desiree Cynthia Burnett

AFrom TRACK RECORD OF... page 4 year. After millions and millions were pumped into this much hyped event with a topical theme, regrettably it turned out to be just another catastrophe. Clearly King has not found his ‘Zone of Genius’ of course that is if he has one, he has not defined or knows what success is. He has surrounded himself with the wrong people. He constantly messes up, drops the ball, and has epic failures. By now his career at the Council should have long been over but instead he is being propped up, which is a disaster for Georgetown. Deodarie Putulal

blinds, gas, slashing of yards, painting of houses, maids, transportation for children, etc. in this crisis for the managers?. Those managers need to understand that the industry is not viable anymore to provide those facilities. They cannot want to have a huge salary and still have those amenities provided at the cost of the sugar workers. Sugar workers are trying their best to feed their families at this time, but yet managers are enjoying a big life style. Sugar workers understand the crisis in the industry but GuySuCo needs to adjust to what is happening. Government needs to cut some of those benefits given to the managers and their families. In this way the industry can endure a little more. GuySuCo will save millions per month by doing this. GuySuCo and the Minister of Agriculture need to restructure the management of the industry for the day to day operations. Managers must take up their responsibilities without fear or favor; without any political sidelines and racialism. Managers must work for their dollars in ensuring that the industry is meeting its target. GAWU must stand by the workers and ensure that they work in making their targets so that the industry can meet its tariff. GAWU cannot encourage workers to strike at this time knowing the industry is slowly dying. I called on GuySuCo, GAWU and the Minister of Agriculture to make changes towards the benefits of the managers at the estate. This will help tremendously to keep the industry going. Managers cannot live like kings when their employers are falling apart in a hole. Who will pay them when the employer falls? Where will they get those benefits when their employer falls? Government needs to seriously start restructuring GuySuCo’s management and start diversification slowly. The industry is going and we need to ensure there are alternatives for the workers so they can have an income. I want to applaud the Government for continuing to pump billions of dollars in this dying industry just because of the workers and their families. By doing this it shows that the government does care about the welfare of the workers and their families. Abel Seetaram APNU\AFC Regional Councillor, Region 5

DEAR EDITOR; I refer to a letter in which the writer chastises Mr. Freddie Kissoon and Dr. Hinds for not speaking out against Cabinet meetings now transferred to army head office on Thomas Lands. I am an avid reader of Kaieteur News (who from the diaspora isn’t?) and I know both gentlemen did express their rejection of that choice, but these two men are quite capable of defending themselves so I don’t need to speak on their behalf. My point is twofold – why call on Kissoon and Hinds and not others? Others who would have opened their mouths if the PPP would have done same. Dr. Harold Lutchman and Mr. Raplh Ramkarran are right when in commenting on the snail pace of constitutional reform observed that as soon as you get into power you are not interested in changing the things you denounced when you were in opposition. Guyanese politicians are not alone in this regards. I live in the UK, and I remember Prime Minister David Cameron promised on the campaign trail when he was in opposition a depressed mother that he will not let the UK deport her teenage son to the US for hacking. He met the woman and made a promise. After he became Prime Minister, he refused to see her and even discuss the issue. But even though politicians behave like this, the citizens should hold them to their word. That grieving mother was given a lot of support after what Cameron did.

The other part of my point is the lack of explanation by President Granger as to how the list process took place, meaning what places on the list they made that they tried before they came up with Camp Ayanngana. This is where I feel the President is on unsafe ground. There are many, many places that could have been chosen. I remember well I was in Guyana at the time when Parliament was held at the Ocean View Hotel in Lilliendaal. Do you remember that, Mr. President? The entire Parliament was at that hotel for months and months, and security was not a problem. How come security is now a problem? Freddie Kissoon made an excellent point when he referred to the mobile Parliament when the PPP was in power. Parliament went to Essequibo and Berbice. With the explanation given by the Coalition Government, I suppose we will never see Parliament meeting in Berbice and Essequibo. Mr. Granger has my support. He is not instinctively dictatorial but he has to be careful of constant blunders and his inability to explain the faults of his government. The latest fault is this one. Mr. Granger could have found several alternatives to the army head office but I don’t think he was interested. I believe he meant well when he chose Camp Ayanganna, but he is too comfortable with his military world and that will pose problems for him. Name withheld

The local government union is not loyal to its workers DEAR EDITOR, Over the last year and a half, workers of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown are left to wonder as to what is the real use, the purpose or the benefits of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU). Since the present Town Clerk assumed office in Georgetown, things have gone awry at the Georgetown Municipality in every possible and conceivable way, much to the chagrin, disadvantage and harm of the workers. Many of them are members of the GLGOU which should be protecting them, and whose welfare they should be looking out for, but for which they certainly do not. Since the beginning of this year, as a consequence of racking up superfluous expenses to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars to just one special and favoured contractor alone, not to mention the other expenses they incur to other contractors, extravagant telephone and electricity charges, high fuel costs etc, the Council has unfailingly been paying its workers exceedingly late each month. This includes October for which it is the second week in November and there is no money in sight for the majority of workers, causing them much hardship and embarrassment, having to face their creditors such as their landlords/landladies or mortgage companies, non-payment of school fees, electricity and telephone costs, their grocers etc. Yet the GLGOU has done absolutely nothing to bring this complete negligence, horrific mismanagement and wanton dereliction to an end. Indeed they sit idly and quietly by as the workers suffer month after month for several weeks at a time after the prescribed pay date with non-payment, and have not even the courtesy of even meeting with them or offering any type of relief. Worse than that, this union, the executive of which is comprised entirely of senior officers of the Georgetown Municipality, has consistently waited out each month during the periods after the agreed pay date, and then

as an academic exercise, proposes a 72 hours ultimatum when they have been assured by the delinquents at City Hall that monies are finally ready. This is a complete act of deception against the workers, in order to dishonestly continue to receive the workers union subscriptions. The President and executive of the GLGOU should be ashamed of themselves. Then there is the more recent scam by the Georgetown Municipality where the senior officials are purporting to soon provide top up to the rank and file worker with quality, affordable housing, and to also provide the vital support services its workers needs to thrive. Alas! Rather than a co-op effort, one which would have utilized skills available at the Council including its human and other resources, instead, houses are being built as a commercial venture to the benefit of a few big ones and their friends. The union that should have been involved in the municipal housing development scheme in the first place, has instead turned a blind eye to the racket allowing their members to again be fleeced by some unscrupulous municipal officials. But the most egregious of all, is the rampant nepotism and cronyism that is being promulgated by the Council’s Human Resources Department to facilitate the employment of relatives, close family members of the Mayor, some present and past Councillors and some senior officers of the Council. Many of these ‘Johnny-come-latelies to the Council’ are unqualified, unbefitting and redundant but are hired anyway at salaries that are way higher than staff members that are better trained and more experienced, a complete act of contempt. Of course this drives the Council’s wages bill up by millions of dollars each month. And what is the GLGOU doing about this? Absolutely nothing! And that is possibly because the GLGOU itself is run like a family business with first a brother being its president and now his sister. James McOnnell

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

No evidence that lawful gun ownership linked to high crimes – Former Speaker Responding to concerns by the government about the alleged misuse of licence firearm, former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramakarran, has said that there are no statistics or other evidence that is publicly available to link lawful gun ownership to the high level of gun crimes. During a recent interview, President David Granger had said that some individuals are renting their guns to criminals. The President had expressed a “personal” view, to have firearms mainly in the hands of police and soldiers as parts of strategies to reduce both legal and illegal guns on the streets of Guyana. His comments sparked outrage among members of the public, particularly the business community. However, the former Speaker noted that the increase in gun crimes has been linked to the increase in

drug trafficking from the 1980s. In a recent blog on the issue, Ramkarran explained that heavy guns were already in use in crimes, particularly during the crime wave beginning in 2002. It increased after the theft of 30 AK47s from the GDF armory at Camp Ayanganna in February 2006. He noted that “hand grenades were also introduced as weapons during this period and were used up to recently in the attack on the vehicle of Glenn Lall, the publisher of the Kaieteur News.” According to Ramkarran, an increase of firearm licences was recorded under the People Progressive Party/ Civic, (PPP/C). “For several years, government and security officials have attributed the prevalence of not only illegal guns and gun crimes, but also illegal drugs, to Guyana’s porous borders. From 1992

Former Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran the PPP/C Government sought to redress the balance of (guns), particularly to business people and farmers,” he stated. While there are many initiatives which have been taken to reduce crime, the Former Speaker noted that the intractable problem of crimes involving the use of a gun continues to be deeply troubling to Guyanese at home and overseas. The mechanism range from increased cooperation between the Governments of Guyana and the US in relation to drug trafficking, cooperation between the

Governments of Guyana and the UK on security issues, efforts to build relations between the police and communities, enhanced capacity of the CID, increased recruitment and training and others. The mechanism has resulted in an overall reduction of crime. Alluding to statements by both the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Public Security, who called for bail to be refused to persons accused of gun crimes, Ramkarran said the only answer is legislation. He said that the extent of the power of magistrates to imprison persons convicted before them of gun crimes, or any indictable offence tried summarily, is limited. He said that a simple amendment to the relevant law will enable a magistrate to refer such persons to be sentenced by the High Court. “As if the person were convicted on indictment, if the magistrate considers it necessary either on his or her motion or at the request of the prosecution. The High Court has greater powers.” he said.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Police investigating misappropriation of $$M at Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is investigating the misappropriation of millions of dollars at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. That Ministry was last headed by Dr Frank Anthony during the rule of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). Under the new government, the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport has been made a department of the Ministry of Education. Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, has highlighted several instances of malpractice at the culture department while it was still a Ministry. In his latest report, Sharma said that the sum of $1.614M was expended for consultancy fees. However, auditors did not receive evidence that tender board procedures were followed. He said that none of this was presented for audit examination. Also, Sharma found that $2.511M was paid to an overseas travel agent for airfare for a “senior official” and one other to attend a conference. The auditor said that the National Procurement And Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) did not adjudicate on these transactions. Further, Sharma said that it appears as if “the expenditure was misappropriated in the case of the purchase of airfares.” Sharma said that in 2015, the NPTAB awarded a contract in the sum of US$18,458 to procure additional equipment for the Synthetic Track to the same overseas supplier. Just about $2.885M was paid to the supplier, while sea freight charges amounted to US$5,200. Another amount linked to this expenditure was US$6,253. Sharma said that at the time of reporting “there was no evidence that one set Seiko Track & Field Electronic System and a Starting Gun RG valued at US$2,985 and US$159, respectively, were received.” He said that the head of budget agency explained that the matter is presently engaging the attention of the Police, “in addition to which further internal investigations are ongoing.” Sharma recommended that the “necessary action” be taken to bring closure to this matter.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Kaieteur News

A COLLISION IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN Recent images published in the newspapers showed the preparation for the implementation of parking meters. Lanes were drawn where vehicles will be charged for parking. Some of the lanes were diagonal parking and some were horizontal parking. On Church Street for example, outside the National Museum, diagonal lanes were drawn. On Carmichael Street, opposite where Bishop’s High School is located, there are horizontal lanes because the road is narrower. The police had a short while ago outlawed diagonal parking. In fact, they reported that it is against the law to

park diagonally. Outside of the headquarters of the People’s Progressive Party, ‘no parking zones’ were created which meant that the leaders of the PPP can no longer park outside of their headquarters, diagonally or otherwise. So how will the police deal with this situation when they have outlawed diagonal parking, yet some of the parking meter lanes make use of diagonal parking. The police are going to find themselves in a quandary. They are the ones who marked no diagonal signs on road surfaces across the country. How then are they going to deal with a situation where

diagonal parking lanes have been drawn to facilitate the introduction of parking meters? The prohibition on diagonal parking is not just about the availability of space. The principal reason why it was introduced is because it was felt that it is dangerous for motorists to be reversing from a diagonal position. However, the more fundamental issue is the law. The police did claim that the law does not permit diagonal parking. The traffic authorities have never quoted the section of the law or the regulations where this is outlawed. But they went

Dem boys seh...

Trump does win card game Last night was a tough night fuh dem boys. None of dem don’t live in de States but dem had more interest in de elections that dem had in dem own elections in Guyana. When Trump and Clinton was campaigning dem boys laugh. Dem deh pun de road and dem see people mekking joke bout Trump. Some of dem go pun social media and post all king of thing. You didn’t have to wonder who de whole country was supporting. Dem boys see WhatsApp video wid Clinton boxing gainst Trump. If you see cuff. Clinton knockout Trump. Dem boys laugh. Somebody else had a video of a cat eating and somebody pushing a Trump photo close to de cat. When

de cat turn around and see Trump, it jump in de air and bruck a sprint. People laugh. Last night nuff of dem sit down and watch Trump give Clinton a run that lef she out of breath. Some of dem begin to wonder if Guyanese gun be able to go to de States because Trump seh he gun shut down immigration. Nuff people start fuh cry. All of dem who deh over in de States illegally now wondering if dem gun be able to hide. People ain’t eat since

morning and by midnight dem belly was tumbling up at de results dem was seeing. But dem boys notice something. No public servant ain’t getting knock off. Dem people ain’t got to worry when dem wake up today. Nobody ain’t got to talk bout witch-hunt. Dem boys still watching de TV and dem asking people to talk half and wait fuh see if dem gun get Trump. Talk half and hold you hand so people can’t see you Trump.

ahead, nonetheless, and marked ‘no diagonal’ parking signs all over the road. What will the police do now if and when diagonal parking is utilized for the parking meters? This is a test of the authority of the police. If there is no prohibition against diagonal parking - as is suspected - then the police would have made the nation a fool. The police will be confronted, in such circumstances, with a credibility crisis. If on the other hand, there is indeed a prohibition, then the police are on a collision course with the municipality.

If the force fails to act, it will be accused of double standards and buckling to pressure. The municipality, on the other hand, can be expected to come up with its usual brand of ingenious explanations. It is likely to claim that it has the final day say when it comes to the roads. The City Council will be totally wrong to make such a contention. The legal situation is not at all in doubt. National law is superior to municipal law. The traffic laws of Guyana therefore have to take precedence over any

municipal by-laws which may be approved. In the event of a conflict between the two laws, it is the national law which will prevail. In the enforcement of any law, the national law is considered the definitive law. In other words, no municipal law or authority can impose any practice which is contrary to national law.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN...

People like Trump and Jagdeo should never be elected By the time you pick up this edition of KN, you would have known who clinched the American presidential election. I think it is Mrs. Clinton. People like Trump have no mental integrity, character stability and moral redemption to govern a nation. I think the same of Bharrat Jagdeo. You cannot compare Trump and Jagdeo since Jagdeo exercised power – 12 years on his own, three through the surrogate role of Ramotar and Trump hasn’t. But in life you have to judge people by their belief system. Trump and Jagdeo are steeped in philistine behaviour; it is a human requirement that such people do not rule over others. Throughout history, people have been judged by their belief system. It is psychologically impossible for a Palestinian woman who wants Israel out of lands Palestinians claim as their homeland to marry an Israeli man who believes there should be no state for the Palestinians. It is impossible for a Jewish woman to marry a professor who thinks that the Hitler was right to treat the Jews the way he did. It is impossible for a feminist activist to be close to a red-neck man who thinks women should be housewives serving their husbands’ needs. It is impossible for a gay activist to vote for a politician who thinks homosexuality should be a crime punishable by

imprisonment. watching this man, and whereas Trump may One’s belief system determines how one succumb to the advice of the intellectual few sees history, life, nature, the world, people, around him, Jagdeo had no such company and values, mores and traditions. Our belief even if he did, they could not have deterred system, whether based on emotions or him in his crude culture. This nation watched objective perceptions of reality, a president in loutish is an essential part of the human behaviour who surrounded being. himself with equally loutish There are lesser values philistines. Jagdeo wallowed in which people hold that play no the ubiquity of uncouth part in human relationships. For appointments. The list is too example, a person may think that long to enumerate. He had no boxing is a cruel sport even cultural background to force though her husband is a boxing him to see that animalistic fan. But fundamental values run behaviour had no role in the deep and they make us who we administration of a country. are. “Killamaan” was never Trump has a belief system disciplined. that is anathema to philosophy. When the subject was He views women as sex objects. brought up, Jagdeo would He thinks non-white people are laugh and say, ‘leave de maan not equal to the Caucasian race. alone.’ I have heard that from Frederick Kissoon He has no acceptance for State several persons close to the support for people who are victims of corridors of power. economic disadvantage. His view on such a The empowerment of Kwame McCoy by situation is very Darwinian. Jagdeo himself puts Jagdeo in a category far Trump is crude, lacks urbaneness, and is below that of Donald Trump. happy with a philistine way of speaking and Jagdeo’s fans would tell you that Jagdeo doing things. was invited to this and that international Bharrat Jagdeo is a mirror reflection of conference by this and that international figure Donald Trump. This country had 15 years of so how could you refer to him as uncouth,

untrained, lacking in refinement and culturally wanting. But ask those very international figures if they ever followed Guyanese politics for just one article in the newspaper and the answer would be no. You think the Board of Governors of Kent University in Canada that awarded Jagdeo a doctorate ever read anything about politics in Guyana. The answer is a reverberating no. You think the Board of Governors of Fiji University knew about how run down UG became under the Pro-Chancellorship of Prem Misir? The answer is that before they employed Misir as their Vice-Chancellor in late 2015, they probably didn’t read one critical analysis of UG and one news item on the politics of Guyana. They read Misir’s CV and hired him. You think the people at the Health Science Department of Harvard ever read anything on Guyanese politics before they offered Leslie Ramsammy a temporary teaching appointment? They probably never read a single line on Ramsammy’s role between 2002 and 2005 in the politics of extra-judicial mayhem. If Kwame McCoy types up an impressive CV and sends it to a PR firm in Italy, he will get employed. The Italians have no clue what went on in Guyana when McCoy faithfully served his fellow philistine – Bharrat Jagdeo

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

27 companies vie for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance work at UG Several bids were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday. Expressions of interest were received for consultancy services for the design and establishment of an M&E system for the security sector. Only one bid what tendered.

Bids were also opened for the construction of a water storage facility for Senior Non Commissioned Officers’ accommodation at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri. Six companies vied for this contract which the engineer estimated at 8.4 Million.

Expressions of interest were also received prequalification of contractors for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance work for 2017. The procuring entity was listed as the University of Guyana. 27 companies bid for this contract.

Four companies bid for the construction of a brick prison at the Guyana Prison Services Camp Street facility, the completion and upgrade of electrical system, installation of generator set and CCTV system at the camp street prison. The engineer estimated the cost at $135.8 Million. The procuring entity was listed as the ministry of public security.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

FORENSIC AUDIT FINDINGS…

Rice Board to discuss General Manager’s court case at meeting today The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is set to meet today following Monday’s criminal charge against General Manager, Nizam Hassan, on the agenda. Hassan, a former General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), appeared in court on Monday slapped with fraud charges relating to transactions that happened while he was in charge of that entity. His appearance in court raised questions as to what would happen now as he is currently in charge of GRDB, the body that oversees rice production and trade in the country. Rice has been among the top three biggest foreign currency earners in Guyana with GRDB a key agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. Yesterday, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, could not immediately say whether Hassan would be asked to proceed on leave pending the outcome of the criminal charge. “I will have to be guided by Cabinet. What I can tell you is that the GRDB board is to meet (today) to discuss the issue. The discussions will guide the way forward,” the minister said.

Agri Minister, Noel Holder Hassan’s case is generating significant interest as it would be the first criminal charge stemming from a forensic audit report that has been filed. Last year, on entering office following snap elections, the David Granger administration ordered several forensic audits into the operation’s state entities. There have been many criticisms over the pace of investigations and

sloth in bringing charges, despite evidence of wrongdoings. Hassan’s case would also bear sharp undertones of the Carvil Duncan case. Duncan, Chairman of the Public Service Commission and member of a number of other constitutional bodies, was suspended after he was charged earlier this year for monies he allegedly approved for himself while he was a director of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. One of the cases was dismissed recently, but he is still before the courts on another charge. The general feeling has been that executives of state agencies should proceed on administrative leave once they are facing criminal charges. GRDB’s board may decide today if this is the route it wants to take. On Monday, Hassan and Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo, the wife of Hanniel Madramootoo, an engineer at the Ministry of Agriculture; appeared before a City Court charged in relation to a scandal that involved the GMC headquarters at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda, Georgetown. They are jointly charged with

Madramootoo; his brother Phillip Madramootoo and his friend Nizam Ramkissoon both Directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited, Trinidad and Tobago, with conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor of procuring money to be paid by false pretence with intent to defraud. The Special Organised Crime Unit had approached Trinidad and Tobago for help with prosecuting the Trinidadians. This help has not been forthcoming. The charges were reportedly instituted on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions. It was alleged that between October 28, 2010 and April 25, 2012 they conspired with each other to commit the offence by continuously approving payments which were made to the contractor of the engineering firm for works that were incompetently and incorrectly done with inferior materials to rehabilitate the GMC; despite knowing that such works should not have been approved. Hassan, 50, of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara and De SouzaMadramootoo, 34, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara were the only

GM Nizam Hassan ones present for the court hearing. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge read to them by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. They were each released on $250,000 bail and instructed to report to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) Headquarters, Camp Street, Georgetown. Arrest warrants have since been issued for the others. Charges were recommended against the former GM and several other persons after SOCU completed its report into the investigations of the multi-million dollar construction of the GMC office building. A forensic audit report submitted back in April by auditor, Saykar Boodhoo, had flagged the construction, citing several Continued on page 14

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Kaieteur News

GPHC Board ‘baffled’ by GPSU’s move to challenge incomplete COI “Baffled” is how the Board of Directors of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has described the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU’) reaction to its ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) into allegations leveled against Director of Nursing Services (Matron), Sister Collene Hicks. Hicks, who has reportedly been in conflict with the management of the GPHC soon after being appointed to the position of Director of Nursing Services last year, has been well represented by the Union. However she was sent on administrative leave earlier this year to facilitate investigations into her conduct. Based on the COI’s Terms of Reference, the Commission is expected to compile, through interviews with staff of the hospital, including doctors and nurses or through investigations, a list of allegations or complaints of displeasure or misconduct against the Director of Nursing Services. But the GPSU has stated that it has no confidence in the COI. This development has perplexed the GPHC Board Directors. In a statement from the hospital it was disclosed that “the GPHC’s Board of Directors is baffled with the Union’s position that the Commission of Inquiry is biased since the composition of the very GPHC Board of Directors is made up of a representative from the Union who participates in the decision making of the Board and has never objected or rejected the decision to constitute a Commission of Inquiry.” According to the statement, the Union representative’s only objection was the size of the investigating body. It was clarified in detail that the objective was to ensure that the inquiry can benefit from a wide cross section of professionals who can ensure that Ms. Colleen Hicks’s matter is dealt with in an equitable and transparent manner. It was pointed out that the Management of the GPHC, in its effort to operate in a transparent and accountable manner, “has always treated the GPSU in a cordial manner since this is in keeping with the principles set out by the Government of Guyana to ensure that the procedures and proper Industrial Relation practices are exercised to give our employees the right to due process and natural justice.”

According to the statement disseminated by the hospital, the GPHC Board of Directors has received several letters from the GPSU during the period July 2016 to October 2016 with respect to the Union’s concerns of the COI involving Hicks. But it was underscored that “With reference to the Union’s letter dated July 22, 2016, the GPHC’s Board of Directors would like to state vividly that it cannot understand the Union’s disagreement and use of the term “obviously biased” when in fact the Board was in the preliminary stages of deciding on the Commission when this letter was written.” As it relates to the second letter dated September 15, 2016, although the Union wrote about the Board being biased and that it disagreed with the Board’s setting up of the Inquiry, it still submitted a nominee to sit on the Commission to represent its interest. The Union’s nominee, according to the statement, still continues to sit and is currently active in the work of the COI. On October 10, 2016, the Board of Directors once again received a letter from the Union stating that it is of the view that the COI is “too unwieldy and that a smaller Commission would better serve the purpose.” The Union expressed its view that persons sitting on the Commission should have no relationship with the Georgetown Public Hospital, whether it was past, present or future. In fact the Union further shared its belief that the Commission is a loaded dice and therefore it will not support it. While the governing Board of Directors can only view the GPSU’s position on the Commission of Inquiry as unfortunate, “We are determined to operate in an environment where our procedures are transparent in ensuring that our employees are accountable for their actions,” added the hospital’s statement. But the Union in stating, publicly, its reservation and lack of confidence in the outcome of the inquiry, explained that its reaction was due to the fact that the association of some of the members of the Commission could influence the conduct of the inquiry making it prejudicial against the subject of the inquiry. The Union informed, too, that even after multiple letters to the Board Chairman, Dr. Carl ‘Max’ Hanoman, “the GPHC went ahead with the Commission as originally set

out.” It pointed out too that the COI has started and has essentially disregarded the concerns of the Union. Included in the union’s concerns is the fact that there has been departure from standard practice and obvious inclusion of elements whose credibility the Union challenges. In addition to Mr. Reginald Brotherson, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the

Presidency who was chosen to by the Union to be a part of the Commission, other members include former GPSU General Secretary turned Attorney-at-law, Chandrawattie Persaud, the Chairperson; Ms. Laurelle Daw, Director of Nursing Services at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for the past seven years; Dr. Anwar Hussain who has racked-up decades of service at the GPHC and former Auditor General, Mr. Anand Goolsarran.

The embattled Matron, Sister Collene Hicks

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Social Protection Ministry to heighten protection of young girls The Ministry of Social Protection will be partnering with various Ministries and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in 2017 to establish a committee aimed at protecting young girls. Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, explained that following the recent high level meeting on adolescent girls and teenagers, the Ministry is awaiting a report to establish the committee to respond to challenges facing young girls. “At the conclusion of that report, we will be able to set up a committee so that our approach to addressing our adolescents and our girls, in particular, will be a holistic one because we recognise from the Ministry of Social Protection side that we have to ensure that we have strong families who can take care of their children, who can be able to go out to work knowing that their children are safe,” Minister Lawrence explained. The Social Protection Minister said that the team of Ministers and NGOs will create a well-designed plan for children. “The Ministry of Education plays a pivotal role

to ensure that the girl child and our adolescents receive an education that is second to none. The Ministry of Health provides safe spaces whereby young people can feel free to go and have their check-ups, so we want to ensure that we can approach it in a holistic way,” Minister Lawrence explained. The Minister noted that staff capacity of the Child Protection Agency (CPA) has been increased. This is to ensure that there is an adequate number of officers in communities to address the various challenges young girls are facing. She added that efforts are also in place to establish the Early Childhood Development Unit that will work with Daycare Centres to ensure that children are in a safe and healthy environment. The Early Childhood Development Centres now have to be licenced and must have continuous interaction with the Social Protection Ministry, and supporting agencies including the Guyana Fire Service, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and Ministry of Health among others.

“We will continue to hold workshops with them so that we can meet to that stage where we will be pleased with what is happening within that centre.” The Ministry of Social Protection has employed more staff in the counter Trafficking in Persons unit while someone has been employed in the department to tackle legal issues. This will help the Ministry take the right approach when dealing with issues of trafficking of young girls, abuse, or child labour to prosecute the cases successfully in the court. The Minister said that currently the Ministry is in partnership with the Sisters of Mercy and is working on signing the Memorandum of Understanding to utilise the building available for females who were trafficked. “There is a special home for them, and they can gather the support. We can send them back to school; we can give them the counselling, they can be supportive of each other who would have gone through the same trauma and we are very grateful for that.” (GINA)

Rice Board to discuss General... From page 12 worrying things at GMC, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. The forensic audit report was sent to Cabinet where it was decided that the findings of the report were serious enough to warrant a deeper investigation into not only the construction of the building but also into the handling of hundreds of millions of dollars of fertilizers. De Souza-Madramootoo was represented by Attorney Glenn Hanoman while Attorney Marcel Bobb entered an appearance on behalf of Hassan. Both lawyers told the court that their clients had fully cooperated with the investigation conducted by

SOCU. Police Prosecutor, Neville Jeffers did not oppose bail for the accused. However, Jeffers requested that reporting conditions are applied and that they lodge their passports. The police file is still incomplete in this matter which has been adjourned until December 7. According to Government sources, investigations found that the principals of the contracting company are close relatives of the engineer. Investigations reportedly also found that Madramootoo allegedly used his wife to conduct transactions at the Tender Board relating to the project. The forensic audit which triggered the recommendations for the charges would tell a worrying tale of how things were at

GMC between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2015, the time under review. With regards to the construction of the building, in 2011 a contract was awarded to Constantine Engineering and Construction Services to build a new head office for GMC and the Guyana Shop, which it runs. A contract in the amount of $23.96M was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). The auditor could not review the bidding documents as NPTAB could not find any information that it was involved in the tender process even though the contract indicated otherwise. Hanniel Madramootoo, an engineer attached to the Ministry of Agriculture was assigned to oversee the construction of the building.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Skeldon factory is a ticking time bomb -- GuySuCo Chairman - Says, “PPP just wrecked the sugar sector from top to bottom”

GuySuCo Chairman, Dr. Clive Thomas By Kiana Wilburg The infrastructural problems plaguing the US$200M Skeldon Sugar Factory have left some viewing it as a ticking time bomb that will detonate soon; unless tough but necessary decisions are taken. Sharing this opinion recently was Chairman of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Dr. Clive Thomas. Dr. Thomas was reminded that Skeldon’s sugar production of 39,158 tonnes in 2015 surpassed 2014’s and is now the highest production since the new factory was commissioned in 2009. According to GuySuCo’s annual

report for 2015, the factory performance has improved considerably. In fact it has shown a15% improvement in the sugar recoveries. Dr. Thomas acknowledged that while this may be the case, he said that it is still not enough to make Skeldon competitive. Members of Cabinet have since been informed that the best solution to the disaster that is Skeldon is to make quick moves to put an end to its production of sugar and seek to use it for diversification purposes. Dr. Thomas concurred that he does not believe that it is wise for Skeldon to continue with the production of bulk sugar. A DISASTER! To further cement his point regarding Skeldon, Dr Thomas shared that there are disturbing infrastructural problems within the $200M factory. “If you only knew the cost to refurbish the factory, it would blow your mind,” added the GuySuCo Chairman. Asked to say whether he agrees with suggestions to divest Skeldon, Dr Thomas answered in the affirmative. He said, “Skeldon needs to be divested. We thought it would have been saved or salvaged by a mechanization project and that was not helpful. Then to get the costs

down to competitive levels, moves were made to involve private cane farmers in supplying cane to Skeldon. That, too, did not work. The reality before us is that the factory has lots of faults; it is badly designed and poorly constructed.” The economist added, “The factory is deteriorating. New steel is needed, some of the furnaces don’t work, some of the boilers don’t work…, The factory is just not properly built. The cost for the repairs needed is about if not over US$60M ($12B). It is that big of a disaster.” Just recently the sugar sector received a whopping $2B in assistance from the national purse. This $2B financial support is to help meet routine expenditure and is in relation to the second crop for the sector. The cost to repair Skeldon alone would be six times that bailout. The amount needed to fix the problems facing Skeldon is also more than the $11B ploughed into the sugar industry for the entire year. The GuySuCo Chairman also revealed that an international firm was hired recently to do an assessment on the Skeldon Sugar Estate. He said that the firm in its report documented the troubling state of the factory. “The company said that that serious action has to be taken where

Skeldon is concerned. The team, too, suggested that it has to be divested if not, the whole thing will eventually collapse on our hands and we won’t be able to produce any sugar. We have to make a decision. We either divest or watch it collapse. “The PPP just wrecked the sector from top to bottom and we are trying to salvage what we can,” expressed the economist. He continued, “We are trying to find a way out but that is like trying to find a way out of a minefield. That is what the PPP left us with. Everything is in a nerve-wracking state. The sugar industry is a minefield and a crumbling edifice. But it must be made known that we don’t want to put people on the breadline. The Skeldon factory alone employs 1,789 workers. Hence we are working on finding the best possible solution to turning the factory and the sector around.” PRODUCTION According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance for the first half of the year, the Guyana Sugar Corporation recorded an operating surplus of $2.9 billion, down from an operating surplus of $3 billion for the same period last year. This surplus, it said, was inflated by a $9 billion transfer from the Central Government to finance operations. Without this transfer, the

Ministry of Finance noted that GuySuCo’s true position would be a deficit of $6 billion. In the future, the Finance Ministry said that all Central Government transfers will be shown as financing, instead of being included as part of revenues. Furthermore, it was noted that by the end of the first half of this year, GuySuCo’s production was 56,645 tonnes. This was recorded as a reduction of 23,624 tonnes from the budgeted 80,269 tonnes and also down from 2015’s half-year production of 81,143 tonnes. The Ministry of Finance said that this shortfall was reflected in a decline in export sales, from a budgeted amount of 58,272 tonnes to an actual of 49,278 tonnes, compared with 77,000 tonnes realized in the same period last year. It noted that the El Niño weather phenomenon, which resulted in stunted cane growth and a decline in cane yields from 57.45 tonnes cane per hectare (tc/ha) in the first crop of 2015 to 45.2 tc/ha in 2016, as well as delays in tillage, planting, and crop husbandry operations, were some of the factors that contributed to this state of affairs. Significantly, the Ministry of Finance said that sales to Caricom and the European Union (EU), of bagged sugar, as well as sales to Continued on page 30

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Gender equality crucial in quest to achieve SDGs Gender equality is an important aspect of the development of any nation. Moreover, calls are being made to emphasize the need for gender sensitive budgeting in order to advance gender equality. Advancing the gender equality situation is in fact one that is required if Guyana is to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, making an earnest plug for this is the Women and Gender Equality Commission. According to Ms. Danuta Radzik, at a recent press conference held by the Commission, “Gender budgeting is really important and we feel that Guyana is ready for that.” Radzik, who serves as Commissioner on the Women and Gender Equality Commission, noted that budgeting for gender equality essentially means that “in the national budget there is thought given to looking at budgets through a gender lens.” This is important, she said, so that “those ways and means and systems and things that are needed to advance gender equality, literally from nursery to the end of one’s life, can actually have some traction in terms of dollars, and good sense to actually make a lot of what we have been advocating in our Commission, real and applicable.” Among the countries that have been embracing the notion of gender budgeting are South Africa and Australia. But according to Radzik, there are also developing countries in South America, much like Guyana, that have also found that gender budgeting has made a big difference for gender justice and equality

Commissioner Danuta Radzik when sharing of resources occurs in the society. And it was in order to emphasize the need for gender sensitive budgeting that the Commission earlier this year decided to spearhead a seminar at Parliament that dealt with gender budgeting. “We had a really strong turnout from the Ministry of Finance, the Minister of Finance himself communicated with us and sent a strong team including the Head of budgeting...We had an extremely good turnout of Members of Parliament and Ministers and it was a rich discussion,” said Radzik of the seminar. Taking the lead on the gender sensitive discussion was Dr. Peggy Antrobus, a famous Caribbean Feminist Economist. The Women and Gender Equality Commissionspearheaded forum also benefited from support from the United Nations. Other seminars that were conducted by the Commission also saw efforts being made to solicit the support of parliamentarians to examine several pieces of gender related legislations

which Radzik said, “We feel they need more attention paid to them.” While there are some legislations that could benefit from review and some amendment, she noted that there is undoubtedly a need for some stronger implementation of those legislations. Yet another seminar focused on gender development was convened by the Commission. On this occasion, Radzik disclosed, “We had the head of the Caribbean for UN Women and we had the Vice Chancellor Acting of University of Guyana, Dr. Barbara Reynolds. And we had Dr Linda Peek from the University of York in Canada.” At the latter forum, Radzik said that efforts were made to discuss the post 2030 developmental agenda which saw keen attention being directed to the SDGs which was preceded by the Millennium Development Goals. The SDGs, officially known as Transforming our World, entails an agenda of 17 ‘aspirational global goals’ with 169 targets between them. Guyana was one of the first countries to sign on to the UN SDGs. And according to Radzik, it has been recognised that since goal five of the SGDs is in fact a stand-alone goal for gender equality, even the Head of the UN, in launching the SDGs said, “If goal five is not crosscut and met in the 20130 agenda, none of the other 17 goals will be met.” Goal five of the SDGs is to ‘achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’. Radzik emphasized the importance of gender equality in the quest to achieve the SDGs.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Kaieteur News

FAO framework to assist Guyana in sustainable management of Natural Resources In addition to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s aim to contribute to the reduction of hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty in Guyana, focus will also be placed on the country’s quest to boost sustainable management and utilisation of natural resources. This was according to the FAO‘s Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2016-2019. According to the organisation, recent discoveries of oil in Guyana are expected to generate investments and together with other investments that are already taking place in the forestry and extractive sector, it will have an impact – and are already impacting – on the environment and the livelihood of people. Therefore, it is important that national capacity be enhanced and governance framework be strengthened to ensure sustainable management of natural resources for energy, food production, livelihoods and adequate compensation for global climate and ecological services that the country’s intact and sustainably managed ecosystems provide, the CPF outlined. Also, with the Intermediate savannahs and Hinterland being touted as the next frontier for agriculture development in Guyana, the demand for land will be fuelled by the increasing interest of investors and with the Granger-led administration pushing towards building a green economy, the FAO

stated that greater emphasis will be placed on alternative energy, mainly hydroelectricity, wind and solar. Meanwhile, farmers, natural resource users, forest- dependent peoples, indigenous groups and rural communities, according to a paper published on the organisation’s website, are of critical importance to the sustainable use of natural resources. The FAO stated that these groups “hold the key” to overcoming many issues, from poverty to environmental degradation and biodiversity conservation. The potential challenge that is likely to emerge is how the state will ensure a balance in land tenure for all users (land, forest and fisheries). Coupled with the above, Guyana is vulnerable to the impact of climate change and extreme weather patterns. The FAO’s CPF aims to ensure sustainable management and utilization of natural resources at the national and local levels and strengthening resilience of food and feeding systems which will be done through enhanced capacities in natural resources management, strengthening national governance frameworks that foster sustainable natural resource

management and the promotion of innovative and gender sensitive approaches and practices for the implementation of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Plan for the agriculture sector. FAO’s active involvement with other United Nations (UN) agencies and development partners will facilitate continuous collaboration with key stakeholders and contribute to the overall achievements of the results. This CPF sets out three government priority areas to guide FAO partnership and support with the Government of Guyana – bringing together innovative international best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise during the four-year period. According to the FAO’s website, the framework was prepared following extensive discussions with the CPF InCountry Team and consultation and agreement with the Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Public Health, Social Protection, Environment and Natural Resources Management, Social Cohesion, Indigenous Affairs, Finance and Foreign Affairs, United Nations (UN) agencies, other development partners and Non-

Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The formulation of the CPF involved review and feedback from CPF focal points in the Sub-regional Office in Barbados and the Regional Office in Chile and regional initiative delivery managers. In addition, the CPF was informed by key

relevant policy documents, evolving context and priorities of the Government of Guyana, in particular the critical and increasing role agriculture and related sectors need to play in the fight against food insecurity, poverty, hunger, rural and social issues. The document also builds

on the achievements and lessons learnt from the 20122015 CPF, as well as programmes and projects relevant to agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors and food security processes under implementation by several line ministries, departments, agencies and development partners.

PAGE 26

VACANCY Cashier (shift work 6am3pm & 3pm-12pm). Submit application to Shell Station Providence EBD, shellramsburg@gmail.com SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257

Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves – Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more. Call: 697-2969/6460966 Guytec Repairs Services & Spares to washing machines, pressure washer, dryer, stoves, refrigerator, treadmill, vacuum, etc –Call: 680-2377 Need a building contractor, house plan to be drawn or just an estimate. Call: 216-0671/ 692-8464/ 622-0267

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LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 Driver/Salesman to sell bakery products preferably from West Coast/West Bank area. Call: 254-1399/627-2515 One salesman to work in parts store contact 2235273/4 One cashier contact 2235273/4

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Male local labourer, ages 1845 @ Timerhi, must be honest and in good health, good salary. Call: 261-2280

PROPERTY FOR SALE

VEHICLE FOR SALE

1 Church building in front and 2 story building at the back (W30XL120) @ 180 Charolotte Street Bourda. Call:624-7341/ 227-6817/2265183

1 RD5 Honda CRV, immaculate condition, TV, reverse camera, CD, mags, alarm, etc, price -$2.850M. Call: 626-2884

Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Property @ Lot 172 Zohora Street, Market Street Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. Call: 220-1583/667-6066 Property with extra large land well built with 2 storey house @ Back Street BetterHope, E.C.D Won’t last. Call: 2201583/667-6066 One flat 3 bedrooms house in highly residential area, land size 150’X50’, price negotiable. Call Kim: 6963624 (no agent) Property @ School St. Zeelugt, brand new, fenced, land: 60’X120’ -$8.5M, owner migrating, must sell! No reasonable refused! Call: 6844759

LAND FOR SALE Uitvlugt-$2.5M, Zeelugt $1.6M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.4M, $1.2M, all prices negotiable. Call: 642-1252 Land @ La Parfaite Harmonie: $1.4M, $1M, $1.6M, Zeelugt - $1.5M, Tuschen School Street -$2M (terms available). Call: 6046724 Diamond 21st Street, can transfer $3.5M. Schoonard, WBD $25M, Land Of Canaan $5M per acre- Contact Shawn 231-2199, 618-7483

Campbellville- $45M, $32M. Festival City (2 Families) $19M, $9M. Aubrey Barker $30M. Diamond $12M- GME Realty- 231-2199, 618-7483 House for sale: storey concrete building, block 8 Mon-Repos, E.C.D- Call: 592611-3548 2 Storey house, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths @ 87 Daisy Street, South Ruimveldt Park -$18M. Call: 232-3244/ 697-5018 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

One 45feet complete, cabin cruiser, trout seines, excellent condition. Call: 657-0044/ 648-6815 Cargo Trawler. Call: 682-8724; 616-5954 1- 225 Yamaha Outboard Engine; Salt Walter series 6,000 running hour, price negotiable. Call: 662-6151; 669-5400 TO LET Three bedrooms bottom flat at 116 Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens. Call: 218-1688/ 625-0392/ 6097826 2 Bedroom furnished Apartment in exclusive residential area, close to Ogle Airport , with modern amenities. Call for appointment 662-1070 1-2 Bedrooms apartment fully furnished; 1-2 Bedrooms apartment unfurnished at Eccles. Call: 667-2536

1 Landcruiser Prado, excellent condition. Call: 625-4196 or 656-0565 1 New & unregistered Toyota Allion $2.4M, 1 Allion PVV series $2.150M & 1 Premio PNN series $1.6M negotiable. Call: 649-0956 Oswin J’s Auto Imports: New Arrivals: Premio, Allion, Fielder, Axio, Rush, X-Trail. Free full coverage insurance. Call: 609-2815 One black pit-bull BTT 9621, in good condition, 1TR engine. Call: 277-3657 Unregistered Axela 2011, fully loaded $2.750M negotiable, Corolla Fielder 2002, dark interior, rims -$1.950M. Call: 617-5536 1RZ Hiace minibus, BNN series. Call: 677-9112/ 6395200 Toyota 110 Sprinter for sale $650,000 negotiable, PKK series. Call: 684-5402 One To y o t a AE100 Sprinter, Stick shift. Price negotiable. Call:613-6666/ 222-4579 Bus BKK series, working condition -$600,000 negotiable. Call: 668-1004/ 682-9127

Dressmaking Course: learn to master your skills in dressmaking. Contact us on: 601-5077

EDUCATIONAL CXC Classes: day & evening classes, personal tutor, Grade 4 to 6, Form 1-5 Maths. Call Sir Jarvis: 690-5008/ 693-4588/ 638-2359

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Business place suitable for barber shop/salon located on Public Road. Call: 613-0448/ 672-8625 3 Bedrooms bottom house @ Sophia - $70,000 neg. On/off road parking, CCTV, fully grilled & tiled. Call Mr. Gomes: 693-2237/ 219-0211

CAR RENTAL

CAR RENTAL

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP, 9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPESTRATE . Call: 698-7807

PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT,CHEAPREATES, SPECIALOFFER.CALL:6906494

One experienced Driver apply @ Hack’s Halaal with Handwritten application, 5 Commerce Street. Male workers between 2035yrs to work at Ice factory on Meadowbank Wharf. Call: 231-1408/ 6429191 8am-2pm (1) Live in caretaker. Call: 233-2427/233-2923 no private or unknown caller. Cashier sales boys/girls to work at a new hardware store, Innovations America. Call: 226-9768 Dishwashers, apply at Shanta’s, 225 Camp Street. Bodywork men. Call: 660-3004 Live in waitress with secondary education, boarding & lodging free $70,000-$80,000 monthly. Call: 610-3974 Cashier & salesgirls to work on East Coast. Call: 220-2128/ 601-4888 Responsible hire car drivers. Call: 231-7477/ 231-7476 Security guard. Call: 6243164 Looking for an investor for a mining block in the Mazaruni area. Call: 672-8844 Live in waitress. Call: 6439007

FOR RENT

DRESSMAKING

WANTED Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellvile (Best Buy Food Supplies)

Suitable space for taxi based in central Georgetown. Please call: 624-6783 Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building- Ideal for commercial and office use- Call: 683-7954 One bedroom apartment @ Middle Road La Penitence $28,000 monthly. Call: 2266374/ 666-953 Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

BABITA SARJOU MURDER PI…

Magistrate set to make ruling on admissibility of caution statement

MURDERED: Babita Sarjou

MURDER ACCUSED: Darrel Pronton

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan is set to make a ruling on the admissibility of an alleged caution statement given to detectives by Darrel Ponton, one of the men charged with the murder of Babita Sarjou. Sarjou’s body was found in a shallow grave at the back of her ex-husband’s yard at Seaforth Street, Campbellville. It is alleged that Sarjou’s ex-spouse, Sharnandand Naraine, called ‘Anand’ of Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, and Darrel Pronton called ‘Yankee’of Lot 54 Broad Street, Charlestown, committed the offence. When the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) continued into the matter yesterday, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan informed the court that a decision will be made on November 17, after the conclusion of a Voir Dire (trial within a trial). The Voir Dire was ordered by the Chief Magistrate to inquire into the circumstances under which the statement was made. The court also continued the Voir Dire to inquire into the circumstances under which an alleged caution statement was given to detectives by Naraine with the Prosecutor

MURDER ACCUSED: Sharnandand Naraine

Neville Jeffers calling four police ranks--two of whom are attached to the Major Crimes Investigations Unit-- to testify. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum and his team of detectives were able to crack the case on May 22, after they spent over five hours digging up a site at Naraine’s Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, home where they believed Sarjou’s body was buried. After digging the site, detectives recovered skeletal remains; they suspect are those of the woman. However to confirm, police have since sent DNA samples overseas for testing, According to reports, Sarjou had left her home to go to the Diwali motorcade on the eve of November 4, 2010 with Naraine who had called her. He reportedly picked her up in his car and while she was sitting in the front passenger seat she was strangled by Pronton who was reportedly seated at the back of the car. Sarjou’s lifeless body was allegedly transported to Naraine’s house where he resided with his wife and children. Reports had indicated that Naraine had dug Sarjou’s grave two days before she was killed.

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Voir Dire continues in Bartica massacre trial The Voir Dire (trial within a trial) for Dennis Williams, one of the men on trial for the 2008 Bartica Massacre, in which 12 persons were brutally murdered continued yesterday at the Georgetown High Court . Judge Roxanne George was expected to make a ruling on the admissibility of the statement procured from accused Dennis Williams, given that State Prosecutors Diana Kaulesar and Stacy Goodings called their final witness to the stand. However, when the trial resumed yesterday, the Prosecutors continued to cross examine Williams, who indicated that he wished to call witnesses to the stand. The

matter was briefly heard before the judge yesterday. It is expected to continue today. According to the facts of the case, Williams, called ‘Anaconda’; Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Durant’; and Anthony Simon, called ‘Goat Man’ are on trial for 12 counts of murder. The men are being represented by Attorneys Roger Yearwood, Peter Hugh and Saphier Hussein. Last week, co-accused Michael Caesar, called ‘Capone’; and Clebert Reece, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter. The guilty pleas by Caesar and Simon resulted from bargains they struck with the State. Both of them will be sentenced on December 16.

During the main trial, state witness, Jaiwantie Singh, detailed testimony of how persons stormed her home at First Avenue Bartica, kicking down doors and firing gunshots during the 2008 Bartica massacre, in which a dozen persons were killed. According to reports, on the night of February 17, 2008, several gunmen attacked Bartica, slaughtering a dozen people including three police officers, during an hour-long attack. It was reported that the armed men attacked the police station, killing three policemen before freeing prisoners. They then left with the vehicle assigned to the police station and went on a rampage, terrorizing the community. The gunmen arrived in the area by boat and departed in a similar fashion taking firearms they grabbed from the police station and a mining company.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

St. Lucia PM announces VAT reduction, new economic initiatives CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC) – Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has announced a 2.5 per cent reduction in the rate of the Value Added Tax (VAT)ý, saying it will result in an estimated EC$52.5 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) being pumped back into the hands of St. Lucians annually. The VAT reduction which takes the rate from 15 to 12.5 per cent was one of five components of the “Five to Stay Alive” programme announced earlier this year as the now ruling United Workers Party (UWP) campaigned for the June ý6 general elections. The UWP had promised the electorate “a restructured tax regime that will be less burdensome but without compromising the revenue base”. In his radio and television broadcast on Monday night, Chastanet said that the VAT affected the entire island on a daily basis destroying businesses and drained consumers to the core even as he indicated that the decision to reduce the tax was not done lightly. “We took time to review the current VAT system. We commissioned a study by Ernst and Young and they undertook a comprehensive review of the VAT. Combined with the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) report and our discussions with various financial agencies such as the ECCB (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank) and IMF (International Monetary Fund) we received several recommendations on reforming the VAT system,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet He said the Parliament would meet to give effect to the new VAT rate in addition to the reinstating the airport tax. Chastanet said that the Airport Redevelopment Charge which he is seeking to reintroduce as of April 2017, is not new, insisting that the tax would not affect the island’s tourism sector. Chastanet said during the review it was discovered that most of the other Caribbean countries charge about US$100, saying that in essence St Lucia has been foregoing US$75 per passenger or EC$100 million in revenue annually. “Reintroducing this charge will also be less onerous on the citizens of this country and will significantly contribute to decreasing our national debt as a percentage of the monies raised will be allocated to a sinking fund. This is additional revenue which will be set aside so St Lucia can begin to take care of itself.” ýChastanet said that on June 6, St. Lucians challenged his UWP to lead and to govern, adding that while they inherited a broken and

frail economy, and are governing in a time of great economic and fiscal hardship, “we shall live up to those expectations”. He said despite the present economic climate, government’s main concern is bringing some measure of immediate relief to the struggling people of this country; to get business flowing once again. Prime Minister Chastanet said he was also pleased to announce that the three-year Residential Tax Amnesty, another of the” Five to Stay Alive” initiative goes into effect from January 1 next year. “We know that almost everyone’s dream is to own a piece of land and a home in their country and government must assist where we can to make this dream a reality. We are acutely aware that people are finding it more difficult to pay their mortgages and this three-year grace period will go a long way in helping home owners meet their obligations.” He said in addition to the waiver, the government is encouraging people to take advantage of the current tax amnesty offered by the Inland Revenue Department. Chastanet said another promise of economic initiative is a targeted amnesty on healthcare services, noting that too many people are dying because of high medical costs. “We are mindful of this and the Ministry of Finance is working with the Ministry of Health on the proposed targeted amnesty on healthcare which we expect to begin on 1st December 2016.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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U.S. Election 2016: Trump’s surprise wins in key states rattle world markets (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump scored a series of shocking wins in battleground U.S. states including Florida and Ohio last night, opening a path to the White House for the political outsider and rattling world markets that had counted on a win by Democrat Hillary Clinton. With investors worried a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, the U.S. dollar sank and stock markets plummeted in wild Asian trading. Opinion polls before Election Day had given Clinton a slim lead. Mexico’s peso plunged to its lowest-ever levels as Trump’s chances of winning the presidency increased. Concerns of a Trump victory have weighed heavily on the peso for months because of his threats to rip up a free trade agreement with Mexico and tax money sent home by migrants to pay to build a wall on the southern U.S. border. Trump surged to wins in Florida, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, and Fox News projected a win for him in Wisconsin. With voting completed in 49 of the 50 U.S. states, he also narrowly led in Michigan and New Hampshire, edging him closer to 270

Electoral College votes needed to win the state-bystate fight for the White House. Shortly after Fox called Wisconsin for Trump, supporters at his election evening rally in New York began to chant “Lock her up” - a common refrain on the campaign trail for the former U.S. secretary of state repeatedly dubbed “Crooked Hillary” by Trump. Clinton still had ways to reach 270 electoral votes, but she would have to sweep the remaining battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada, and pull off an upset win in Arizona. Trump captured conservative states in the South and Midwest, while Clinton swept several states on the East Coast and Illinois in the Midwest. After running close throughout the night in Virginia, Clinton pulled out the swing state that is home to her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine. At 8:55 p.m. EST, Clinton acknowledged a battle that was unexpectedly tight given her edge in opinion polls going into Election Day. She tweeted: “This team

Hillary Clinton has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything.” As of 11:40 p.m. EST, Trump had 244 electoral votes to Clinton’s 209, with U.S. television networks projecting the winner in 41 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A wealthy real-estate developer and former reality TV host, Trump rode a wave of anger toward Washington insiders to challenge Clinton, whose gold-plated establishment resume includes stints as a first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state. UNPOPULAR CANDIDATES Both candidates had his-

Donald Trump torically low popularity ratings, although Trump’s were worse than Clinton’s, in an election that many voters characterized as a choice between two unpleasant alternatives. Before Tuesday’s voting, Clinton led Trump, 44 percent to 39 percent in the last Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll. A Reuters/ Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave her a 90 percent chance of defeating Trump and becoming the first woman elected U.S. president. Also at stake yesterday was control of Congress. Television networks projected Republicans would

retain control of the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats were up for grabs. In the Senate, where Republicans were defending a slim four-seat majority, Democrats scored their first breakthrough in Illinois when Republican Senator Mark Kirk lost re-election. But Republicans Rob Portman in Ohio and Marco Rubio in Florida won high-profile Senate re-election fights. In a presidential campaign that focused more on the character of the candidates than on policy, Clinton, 69, and Trump, 70, accused each other of being fundamentally unfit to lead the country. Trump entered the race 17

months ago and survived a series of seemingly crippling blows, many of them self-inflicted, including the emergence in October of a 2005 video in which he boasted about making unwanted sexual advances on women. He apologized but within days, several women emerged to say he had groped them, allegations he denied. He was judged the loser of all three presidential debates with Clinton and she led him by varying margins for months in opinion polls. Trump won avid support among a core base of white non-college educated workers with his promise to be the “greatest jobs president that God ever created.” He has vowed to impose a 35 percent tariff on goods exported to the United States by U.S. companies that went abroad. His volatile nature and unorthodox proposals led to campaign feuds with a long list of people, including Muslims, the disabled, Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, the family of a slain Muslim-American soldier, a Miss Universe winner and a federal judge of Mexican heritage.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Romanex Guyana to assist small miners in mercury-free mining Small scale miners are being afforded the use of machinery from Romanex Guyana to help increase their recovery rates in the Marudi Mountain mining area, Region Nine. Small miners raised the complaint that alluvial mining is not yielding production in the Marudi area when Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and a team met with miners in Lethem on Saturday. One Marudi miner told the Minister that “the alluvial mining is not paying”. However, Romanex Guyana’s representative, Marshall Mintz, said the company has invested in machinery that aims to improve recovery rates. “The company has ordered mercury-free gold drill…It’s the only way to recover gold from hard rock mining where you don’t use mercury,” Mintz told the miners. ”We, small scale miners having amalgam sheet mats and what not, we would like to know how we can integrate into the system that he’s speaking about,” Leslie Kaladin, a small miner from Marudi questioned. Mintz explained that the miners can use the machine once it is set up, for a minimal fee. “Miners will have access to it; we will run a workshop that trains them. We will teach you how to use this machinery here; it doesn’t use mercury,” Mintz told the miners.

Romanex Rep., Marshall Mintz

Miner, Leslie Kaladin

Romanex Guyana is setting up a box sampling programme in keeping with the mediation agreement which was brokered by the Ministry of Natural Resources between the Canadian company and small miners earlier this year. “We agreed in the mediation to put together a proper testing programme, and we’re doing that; the equipment is already sitting at Bush Mouth and ready to go in,” Mintz noted. Romanex Guyana will be testing different types of mills “as well as saprolite separation process on a vibrating screen deck because the present mining activity that uses saprolite and hard rock into one crusher is not acceptable practice for gold recovery,” Mintz explained. Increasing the recovery rates in gold mining has been a major concern for miners. The Guyana Geology and

Mines Commission (GGMC) has been testing alternatives to the use of mercury. Guyana signed onto the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013 in Japan. The Convention is an international pact to protect the environment and health from the adverse effect of mercury. GGMC board member and President of the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation (GWMO), Urica Primus, assured miners, “The country is also in the process of providing economic alternatives, so while Mr Mintz’s proposal is one to consider, it’s also not something you have to rush into right away. You still have time and the government is still trying to find alternatives that suit every layer of mining.” Romanex had clashed with miners before Government stepped in an ordered mediation. Marudi is a gold-rich area.

Skeldon factory is a ticking time... From page 15 Caricom of Packaged Gold sugar, were the most affected. It said that the industry continues to be plagued by many problems, including an increase in the prices of several inputs such as fertilizers, and these have had a negative effect on the company’s ability to realize sufficient cash to cover its operating costs. The Ministry stated, “GuySuCo has taken several steps to address some of its challenges, including negotiating with Tate and Lyle for better prices for sales to the EU market; pursuing studies to inform diversification into areas such as other crops, fruits,

aquaculture, rice, dairy and livestock to reduce dependence on sugar; and rationalizing its operations for increased efficiency and productivity.” Additionally, various stakeholders within the industry recently gathered for an important meeting which saw discussions on the worrying financial future of the sugar industry. The stakeholders included a high level team from GuySuCo as well as representatives from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees and the Guyana Labour Union.

Kaieteur News understands that a comprehensive presentation was done by the GuySuCo team, where the 47 representatives were provided with production and financial data from 2010 to 2025. The information presented indicated a very discouraging future for the sugar industry, where the Corporation is projecting losses of approximately $14.195 Billion in 2016 and further losses of $13.758 Billion in 2017. The Unions’ representatives were encouraged to submit their thoughts on how the industry could secure the future wellbeing of the approximately 17,000 employees and their families, as well as ensuring the profitability of the business. It was subsequently agreed that a team comprising representatives from the three Unions would meet with a team from GuySuCo to get a deeper appreciation of the financial and other data which were provided.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

Jamaica govt. confident of achieving economic growth target KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – The Jamaica government is predicting that the economic growth in four years will surpass the five per cent figure it has set. Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressing the signing of a declaration of intent to implement the proposals outlined by the Economic Growth Council (ECG) said the said the socalled ‘5 in 42 target could be exceeded. The ECG chaired by businessman, Michael Lee Chin was established by the Holness government soon after it won the general elections earlier this year. It has a mandate to help the government achieve five per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in four years. Holness addressing the ceremony on Monday night, spoke of the sacrifices Jamaicans made as the island

dealt with a four-year made by Jamaicans under the four-year US$948.1 million Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “There’s no question about it. We will grow and we will probably grow faster than five percent. The world is now paying attention,” Holness said. “This government will make sure that we are faithful to the sacrifices that the people have paid. We deserve results. We will make Jamaica the great country that we were destined to be,” he added. Lee-Chin said he was also confident that the growth target would be achieved. “I wouldn’t have stuck my neck out,” he said, pointing to favourable indicators such as low energy and telecom prices and the

support of the international financial institutions. Last week Finance Minister Audley Shaw said Jamaica recorded 2.3 per cent growth for the July to September quarter, the highest in a single quarter since 2002 a n d t h e Planning Institute of Jamaica has projected 1.7 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth this fiscal year. Over last 2 0 y e a r s , J amaica has averaged GDP growth of 0.5 per cent per annum. Holness said achieving the five per cent economic growth in four years will directly benefit more than 500,000 Jamaicans living in poverty. “This plan is pro poor,” he said, adding that the eight proposals from the EGC will ensure any economic prosperity reaches the Jamaica’s poor.

Canada’s Trudeau to visit Cuba, 40 years after father’s historic trip

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit Cuba next week to strengthen ties and boost trade, four decades after his father made a historic visit to the Communist-ruled island and struck up a friendship with revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Canada has long been one of Cuba’s closest Western allies. Trudeau will meet with Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother and successor as president, during his visit, Trudeau’s office said. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, a former prime minister, in 1976 became the first NATO leader

to visit the island since its revolution, at one point exhorting “Viva Castro!” Pierre Trudeau’s trip was controversial in view of the Cold War enmity between Cuba and the United States. His son’s visit is not viewed as such, given the resumption of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties last year and a landmark visit by U.S. President Barack Obama in March. Justin Trudeau will follow his stay in Havana with a visit to Argentina, ruled by centerright President Mauricio Macri, on his way to Peru to participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting.

“Cuba and Argentina are two of our closest partners in the hemisphere,” Trudeau said in a statement. “I look forward to working with President Castro and President Macri to stimulate more trade and investment with Canada, grow the middle class, and foster closer people-to-people ties for the benefit of all our citizens.” Canada and Mexico were the only two nations in the Americas to have kept ties with Cuba after the 1959 revolution, and trade, tourism and investment from the two countries has filled in some gaps from the U.S. embargo. Cuba and Canada trade over $1 billion worth of goods per year and Canadian companies have significant investments in mining, power, oil and gas, agribusiness and tourism in Cuba. Many countries are rushing to renew ties with Cuba since its detente with the United States in hopes of capturing a share of Cuban business. A string of foreign leaders including the Iranian president and Japanese prime minister have visited the island in recent months, meeting with Raul and Fidel Castro. It was not yet clear whether Trudeau will meet with Fidel, 90, who became friends with his father and was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral in Montreal in 2000.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Man assaults cop after caught smoking weed A 50-year-old man found himself before a City Court yesterday for allegedly assaulting a police rank after he was caught smoking marijuana by a party of police on mobile patrol at Baramita, North West District. Kenneth Small, a goldminer, is accused of assaulting Police Constable Mervin Sam, a peace officer acting in the execution of his duties on November 4, at Barama Line, Baramita. It is further alleged that on the same day, Small smoked cannabis (marijuana). The unrepresented man who pleaded not guilty to the charges was released on a total of $40,000 bail Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that on

- Court hears the day in question, around 17:00hrs police ranks were on patrol duties in the area when they confronted Small, who was smoking a cigarette-like object. According to the prosecutor, when the defendant noticed the patrol he attempted to hide the object with the palm of his hands. Jeffers said that the defendant threw the cigarette-like object onto the ground and pushed Constable Sam away when he tried to arrest him and made good his escape. “Constable Sam took possession of the lighted cigarette-shaped object suspected to be cannabis and

took it to the Baramita Police Station, where it was lodged,” Jeffers stated. Later on in the day, the court was told that the defendant visited the station and proclaimed his innocence, but was arrested and told of the offence of assaulting the police officer. When asked if he had anything to say, Small claimed that he was kicked and cuffed about the body by the police rank. He said that he walked to the station after Constable Sam left the scene to return with a firearm. This matter was adjourned until February 6, 2017 and transferred to the Matthew’s Ridge Matthews Court by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

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Kaieteur News

Alternative sentencing being explored towards reducing prison overcrowding The Ministry of Legal Affairs is in consultation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), on developing alternative sentencing as part of measures to reduce overcrowding in the prisons. Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams, said, “It’s something still in the pipeline.” The government will be considering “alternative sentencing, pretrail liberty and considerations like that” as it seeks to address overcrowding in prisons, he added. “The whole idea is to try to weed out these offences that are clogging up (the prisons). Sometimes some people

who are there for a six-month sentence could have had some other sentence,” Minister Williams explained. A report from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Camp Street Prison riots, which led to the death of 17 persons in March, cited overcrowding as a major factor. The COI report noted that there is a huge disparity in the ratio of remand to convicted prisoners. It went on to call for more enforcement of the Bail Act. Bail is a constitutional right afforded to prisoners with the exception of m u r d e r, t r e a s o n o r t h e possibility of the accused being a flight risk. In the meantime, the government has allocated

$25M to facilitate Night Court sessions as an immediate measure aimed at reducing the backlog in the judicial system, and particularly overcrowding in prisons. Minister Williams said that for the Night Court to be successful, it must target criminal cases with sentences between three months and three years, “so that we won’t have people with these offences clogging up the prisons.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security’s Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) will be conducting a study to evaluate alternatives to incarceration. Funding for that project was acquired from the IDB. (By Tiffny Rhodius)

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Olympics-2018 Games chief says contracts clean, as scandal bleeds into sport P Y E O N G C H A N G, SOUTH KOREA (Reuters) Pyeongchang’s 2018 Winter Olympics contracts are clean and not “contaminated” by outside factors, the Games’ organising chief told Reuters yesterday, as South Korea’s sporting community is dragged deeper into a political influence-peddling scandal. The scandal blighting Park Geun-hye’s presidency involves her close friend Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have used her relationship with the president to meddle in state affairs and wield influence in the sports and cultural communities. Choi has been charged with abuse of power and fraud while a former aide has been charged with abuse of power and extortion after they helped raise $68 million from dozens of the country’s

biggest conglomerates on behalf of two foundations. One of the foundations is ‘K-Sports’, which is involved in projects such as building facilities and developing sporting talent for Olympic and Asian Games. Local media have also linked Choi to companies that were awarded lucrative contracts for the 2018 Games, Asia’s first Winter Olympics outside of Japan. However, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday in Pyeongchang, POCOG President Lee Hee-beom said he had carried out an internal probe and had found no evidence of any external influence on the contract process. “I can say that the POCOG organization, and also the contracts within our organization, were not contaminated, were not influenced by outside factors,” Lee, a former

The mascots for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics ‘’Soohorang’’ and ‘’Bandabi’’ (R) are seen during their launching ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea, July 18, 2016. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji) government minister for trade, industry and energy, said. “Most of the tenders for procurement were done through the public tender process, which cannot be affected by outside factors.

Wednesday November 09, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You really can't do anything to change matters today. Hold on; your time will come. You will easily blow situations out of proportion. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Work quietly behind the scenes for best results. You can have quite the romantic adventure if you take time to get to know your mate all over again. You might not be as reserved on an emotional level as you'd like. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be aware of any emotional deception. Do not sign legal contracts or documents today. Do not expect others to do your work. Don't let your emotional upset interfere with your professional objectives. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You have more than enough on your plate already. Don't blow situations out of proportion. You need to spend less time daydreaming and more time accomplishing. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Do your own thing. Help elders in your family. You can learn from those who have had similar experiences. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Take things slowly, especially for the sake of those you love. Secret affairs will come back to haunt you. Exercise is always a good way to relieve stress.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Don't be too quick to judge your position or surroundings at work. You may find it difficult to communicate. Your high energy will help you through this rather hectic day. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) It might be time to pick up the slack and do your share. You may have a problem at work with a female coworker. Pleasure trips will be a form of healing for your emotional state of mind. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Sudden changes regarding friendships are likely to occur if you have tried to change others. You need adventure and excitement in your life. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Try not to be too harsh with your mate. Make plans to mix business with pleasure. Dinner with clients or business associates should be successful. Unexpected visitors are likely. Be prepared to do your chores early. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your irritability may drive your loved ones crazy. Be precise in your communications to avoid any misunderstandings and arguments. Do not expect others to do your work. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Changes in your home environment are likely. Overindulgence will mean poor health.

“Most of the articles quoted in the domestic media were exaggeration or distortion,” added Lee. “I have checked internally and found that within POCOG nothing was influenced. “And that principle will be maintained until the Games.” Lee took over as POCOG president in May when Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho stepped down in order to focus on the management of the troubled Hanjin shipping business. While he brought little in the way of sports administration experience to the role, Lee’s business ties have helped organizers inch closer to sponsorship targets with the Games less than 460 days

Experienced Chanderpaul... (From page 38) three slow bowlers spin the ball away from the righthanders since Bishoo, Permaul and Gudakesh Motie have been selected. Jaguars team: Leon Johnson (Captain), Vishaul Singh (Vice Captain), Rajendra Chandrika, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie, Keon Joseph, Christopher Barnwell, Esuan Crandon (Coach), Rayon Griffith (Assistant Coach/Manager), Beverley Nelson (Physio) Scorpion’s team: Nikita Miller (Captain), John Campbell, Trevon Griffith, Devon Thomas, Jermaine Blackwood, Brandon King, Shacaya Thomas, Andre McCarthy, Chadwick Walton, Damion Jacobs, Derval Green, Marquino Mindley, Jason Dawes, Robert Samuels (Coach), David Bernard (Fitness Trainer), Matthew Parchment (Physiotherapist)

away. In terms of local sponsorship, POCOG said it had met 83 percent of the total target of 940 billion won ($822 million). “So far we have achieved 85 percent but I promised the public to achieve 90 percent before the end of the year. So I think I can meet the target...” HOSTING GRAND SLAM Lee served as Korea’s trade minister from 2003-06 and held high level positions at the Korea International Trade Association and Korea Employers Federation. He said his time in government had prepared him for the POCOG role. “The Olympic Games is not just about sports,” said Lee, highlighting the cultural, management, logistical and entertainment issues that face each organizing committee. “When I was a government minister I solved many difficult issues, including a nuclear disposal site,” he said. “It’s that kind of achievement I think that made me president of POCOG.” The coastal city of Gangneung will be used for the figure skating, curling, ice hockey, speed and short-track skating events, while the alpine town of Pyeongchang will stage mountain events

such as skiing, sliding and Nordic events. South Korea, which hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2011 World Athletics Championships, will complete the hosting “grand slam” of major international sporting events when it stages the 2018 Winter Games. Only Germany, Italy, France and Japan have done so. Lee said it was imperative that venues from the 2018 Olympics are put to good use after the Games, which was one of the concerns raised by the IOC on a recent visit. Ownership of 10 of the 12 venues had already been decided and POCOG was in discussions with potential private owners for the other two, said Lee, adding that the decisions would be finalised before the end of the Games. Venues must not become “white elephants,” he said, adding that Pyeongchang could benefit from the IOC’s decision to give Beijing the hosting rights for the 2022 Winter Olympics. “So we are discussing with Beijing authorities to use our facilities as training facilities. And we expect many of the countries participating in 2022 will use our venues as training venues.”

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

Herath five-for gives SL first-innings cushion ESPNcricinfo - In isolation, the final session on day three was among Zimbabwe’s best in the series. They attacked, and bowled with purpose and intensity to take four Sri Lankan wickets. But having conceded a 232-run first-innings lead due to a series of injudicious shots against spin, they were left to play catch-up yet again. Sri Lanka, who went into stumps on 102 for 4, had opened up a 334run lead with two days remaining. Barring spells of torrential rain, Zimbabwe will be faced with yet another uphill battle to save the Test. That 108.1 overs are the most they’ve batted in the fourth innings in their Test history indicates the magnitude of the task that awaits them. With 180 overs left in the Test, they have a chance to break that record, but it seems unlikely, given their travails against Rangana

Rangana Herath picked up his 27th five-for in Tests © Associated Press Herath’s left-arm spin. Batsman after batsman played for turn when there was none. While some, like Craig Ervine and Brian Chari, were out lbw, others, like M a l c o l m Wa l l e r a n d Graeme Cremer, were beaten in flight and out to expansive drives. One wicket was all it took for doubts to creep i n t o t h e b a t s m e n ’s minds as a measured approach at the start of the day gave way to a t t e m p t s t o throw the

bowlers off. Herath was the biggest beneficiary of Zimbabwe’s indiscretions, finishing with 5 for 89 to become just the third bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan and Dale Steyn to pick up five-wicket hauls against all Test oppositions. But the other bowlers chipped in too – off-spinner Dilruwan Perera exploited the rough to pick up three wickets, while right-arm seamer Suranga Lakmal took two. All the bowlers were supported by an agile slip

cordon that hung on to tough chances. The day had begun with much promise. With the surface at its best for batting, Zimbabwe, resuming on 126 for 2, had an opportunity to grind Sri Lanka’s bowlers and eat into the deficit. Instead, they provided a demonstration of how not to play spin. Once the 117-run stand

between Ervine and Chari was broken, early on the third morning, Zimbabwe collapsed in a heap, losing their last five wickets for 19 to be bowled out for 272 midway through the second session. Sri Lanka started their second innings shakily against a fired up attack. Carl Mumba showed significant recovery from a knee trouble that forced him to hobble off the field early on the first day. He bent his back and hustled the batsman for pace, the reward for which came in the form of Kusal Mendis, who top-edged a pull to midon. He also dismissed opener Kaushal Silva and firstinnings centurion Dhananjaya de Silva with juicy full tosses. Upul Tharanga, fighting to stay in contention for a middle-

order berth for South Africa after a century and halfcentury here, played all around a Cremer delivery that spun back in to trap him leg before wicket. Dimuth Karunaratne, guilty of frittering away a start in the first innings, overcame patches of discomfort against the awaygoing deliveries, to bring up a half-century. He helped Asela Gunaratne, coming off a maiden Test ton in the first innings, see off a nervous last 20 minutes as Sri Lanka forged ahead despite a toporder wobble, courtesy the efforts of their 38-year old captain. Scores: Sri Lanka 504 and 102 for 4 (Karunaratne 54*, Gunaratne 6*, Mumba 3-31) lead Zimbabwe272 (Chari 80, Ervine 64, Williams 58, Herath 5-89) by 334 runs.

Exciting Pooran slapped with suspension over contract snub P O RT O F S PA I N , Trinidad, CMC – Exciting West Indies Twenty20 batsman Nicholas Pooran has been slapped with a suspension by the West Indies Cricket Board, after snubbing his Leeward Islands Hurricanes contract for the upcoming Professional Cricket League. The 21-year-old, who made his international debut in the recent series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, opted out of his PCL contract in order to represent Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League. However, WICB chief executive, Michael Muirhead said Pooran’s decision would result in a suspension from WICBsponsored tournaments for an unspecified period. “Nicholas Pooran has decided not to play for the franchise that he was selected for. All persons who are entering the [PCL] draft, sign that they will make themselves available and commit themselves to playing for whoever they are drafted by,” Muirhead was quoted as saying. “If you fail to honour that then there are consequences. The consequence is actually is that he won’t be able, for a specific period, play for

Exciting West Indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran.

WICB sponsored tournaments.” Pooran was selected for West Indies duty for the three T20s against Pakistan after impressing for Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League last summer. However, the aggressive left-hander has not played a first class game in two years and a regional 50-overs game in three years. He was kept out of the game for a year back in 2015 when he suffered injuries in a vehicular accident, and only returned to action earlier this year. Muirhead said while

Pooran’s suspension would not making him ineligible for selection to the regional side, it would certainly hurt the player’s chances. “It does not mean he cannot play in a West Indies team if he is selected but it might lessen his chances of selection by not p l a y i n g i n o u r tournaments, but it still means that he could be selected if the selectors see it fit to choose him,” the Jamaican noted. The regional first class season bowls off next weekend with Hurricanes hosting Barbados Pride at Warner Park in St Kitts.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Two years on from 7-1, Brazil face arch-rivals Argentina SAO PAULO (Reuters) Tw o y e a r s a f t e r t h e y suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final, Brazil return to the same Belo Horizonte stadium charged with overcoming that bitter memory – and their toughest rivals Argentina. The five-times world champions face their neighbours in a World Cup qualifier tomorrow and memories of the mauling by the Germans at the Mineirao stadium add extra spice to what is one of world football’s great rivalries. “The scars are going to remain but we can only change what happens from now on,” midfielder Renato Augusto told reporters after joining up with his team mates in the central Brazilian city. Brazil have overcome one major psychological barrier in recent months, when their Under-23 team, including overage players Renato Augusto and Neymar, beat Germany at the Maracana stadium to win the Olympic gold medal for the first time. Renato Augusto, who plays for Beijing Guoan said the players discussed the 7-1 match before that game and admitted there was no

John Bostock to play for Soca Warriors.

Brazil’s players attend a training session at Independencia Stadium, Belo Horizonte. (REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)

avoiding it before facing Argentina. Seven members of the Brazil squad were in the Mineirao that fateful July day in 2014, two (Marcelo and Fernandinho) starting the match and another two (Paulinho and Willian) finishing it. “We can’t put more pressure on those that were

there,” Renato Augusto. “A win would be good to take the weight off a bit. We discussed it at the Olympics and obviously now that the game is at the Mineirao it will be back again. But we have to look to the future and not to the past.” Nevertheless, the past can also serve as an incentive for a team that has

struggled in recent years. Brazil have never lost a home World Cup qualifier and they have won three and drawn one of their four previous games against Argentina at the Mineirao. Perhaps more importantly, they come into this game having won all four qualifiers since Tite replaced Dunga as coach in

June and they are top of the 10-team standings. A r g e n t i n a ’s r e c e n t record, meanwhile, is almost the opposite, with just one win in four since coach Edgardo Bauza took the reins in August. They are sixth in the table, with the top four qualifying automatically and the fifth-placed side

going into a playoff with a team from Oceania. Lionel Messi will return to the side after missing the last three games through injury, none of which Argentina won. Brazil will be without Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro but are otherwise at full strength.

Former England youth captain cleared to play for T&T PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-Former England under17 captain John Bostock has been cleared to represent Trinidad and Tobago as they begin preparations for Friday’s opening game of the CONCACAF World Cup final round of qualifiers. Bostock, who represented England up to under 19 level, is now eligible to play for the Soca Warriors based on official clearance received by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) from FIFA on Monday. London born Bostock, 24, cannot play for any other country from now on based on F I FA r u l e s f o r p l a y e r s switching nationality. “Its good news for us,” T&T

head coach Stephen Hart said while thanking the TTFA for securing the necessary documentation for Bostock. “Obviously it’s been a long time for this to come through going back to March, and I would like to thank the FA for taking all the necessary steps and seeing it through to the end.” Since leaving England, Bostock has enjoyed success in Belgium and has helped OH Leuven gain promotion and is now seeking to lead RC Lens back to top-flight football in France. Bostock, whose father is Trinidad and Tobago-born, was in line to make his T&T debut during the semifinal rounds of the qualifiers but was delayed

due to problems with his paper work. He was among several players absent on Monday when the squad started its preparations for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica but was expected to arrive in the country yesterday. T&T follow up their Costa Rica fixture by clashing with Honduras in a difficult away trip to the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula on November 15.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

Superbike category promises scorching showdown CMRC Final Leg

-top riders arrive from USA, UK for Team Mohamed Motor racing fans are in for thrills and spills while local Superbiker daredevils will have a real opportunity to accurately gauge their respective abilities when they face opposition from the USA and Britain this weekend. The occasion is the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) which will be staged this Sunday, at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri. Yesterday, Kaieteur Sport had the chance to witness the 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship winner Bryce Prince in action during practice and what was seen surely confirms the excitement fans will have in the Superbike category. Also, enjoying crucial seat time was British rider Matt Truelove, who put down some fast times despite being new to the Circuit. The two visiting riders will be making their debut this Sunday on two Yamaha 600cc bikes that was p u r c h a s e d b y Te a m Mohamed of Mohamed’s Enterprises. According to Team Principal Nazrudeen Mohamed, who spoke with this newspaper, he has been involved in motor racing for sometime and it is his love for the sport that spurred him to purchase the bikes to add more excitement to the Superbike category. He further stated that in addition to the acquisition of the bikes he decided to seek two top riders to come and

USA Superbike champion Bryce Prince poses next to his Yamaha 600cc yesterday. represent the team and Prince and Truelove both of who are highly regarded riders were the team’s choices. Prince in brief remarks said he was happy to have the chance to display his immense talent here in Guyana and thanked Mohamed for providing the opportunity for him to do so. Commenting on his experience on the track, he said it was a bit bumpy and abrasive and felt that with a bit of improvement it could be a good track for international racing. “I like the corners they are really nice and I’m looking forward to first of all winning the races and giving the trophies to the team’s owner, but also to give the fans a good showing,” Prince

said. Speaking about the machine, he disclosed that

British Superbiker Matt Truelove poses next to his Yamaha 600cc yesterday. everything is fine, but felt that the team is looking to improve on power which he

was optimistic will be resolved by race day. Truelove in his response

said that since his arrival he has been having lots of fun and is really excited to race. He revealed that it has been a while since he left his country to race, citing 2008 in Spain as his last race outside the UK. He too said the track is a lot of fun, but echoed similar sentiments expresed by Prince, who spoke about the bumpy nature of the surface. Truelove added that the Circuit is a bit smaller and more technical than he is accustomed to, but was working hard figure out the lines to make it a bit easier for him. In closing, Truelove said he was really looking forward to seeing the fans come out in great numbers to witness the impending showdown against the locals. The two riders are being accompanied by family members.

Diamond Mineral Water 2016 Indoor Hockey Festival launched…

Increased prize monies attracting more overseas teams Wi t h p r i z e m o n i e s expected to exceed over US$8,000, this year ’s Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival promises to be one of the most exciting to be staged since its inauguration in 2004. This was disclosed to the media by President of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) Philip Fernandes, during the Launch of this year’s event which was conducted at the Georgetown Cricket Club Pavilion yesterday. Also present at the occasion were Platinum and Gold sponsors Demerara Distillers Ltd and Ansa McAl under their Diamond Mineral Water and Carib Beer brands respectively. The representatives were Larry Wills and Robert Hiscock, who both made remarks about their entities involvement over the years. The annual event which is being staged for the

twelfth time will be played from November 24-27, at the National Gymnasium and according to the GHB President over seventeen teams are confirmed to participate. They include eight from overseas one of which is the B a l l Wa s h e r s f r o m Washington in the USA that will be making their debut in the competition along with some from Canada and Trinidad and Tobago. Fernandes in his remarks confirmed that the Festival is the longest running indoor event in the sport in the Caribbean and certainly ranks among the longest in both the indoor and outdoor formats as well. He added that the event continues to attract countries from the Caribbean and North America and pointed to it as being pivotal in maintaining the level of hockey development in the country.

Fernandes then highlighted the role of the sponsors, making special mention of DDL under its Diamond Mineral Water brand that has been with the Festival since the start, adding that the event’s success is due to the support offered by the Company. The GHB Head was equally delighted with the support given by Ansa McAl under its Carib Beer brand which has been responsible for the reviving interest shown in the veterans’ category. According to him, the popularity of this category is of such that they are usually the first teams to confirm participation every year. Additionally, Fernandes extended thanks to the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Director of Sport Christopher Jones for the entity’s general support over the years and the

infrastructural work that was done to improve the general outlook of the facility. Wills in his presentation said that it was indeed been a pleasure working with the GHB and they continue to be encouraged by the manner in which the Festival is run and urged the general public to come out and support the event. He then congratulated the GHB for successful execution of the tournament over so many years. Hiscock in his remarks said Carib was incredibly happy to be on board once again, while also congratulating the Board for year after year pulling off a successful event. Meanwhile, the winners of the Men’s and Women’s categories will receive US $3,000 each with the runner-up teams to get US$500, while the Vets winners will collect US$500 and runners-up prizes.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

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National ruggers depart for RAN assignment

Sabola Gray The Guyana Rugby Football Union announced the members of the men’s and women’s teams that is scheduled to participate in the RANs Sevens Championships in Trinidad

Patrick King

and Tobago. The C/ ships, which will be played at the St. Mary’s Sports grounds over the coming weekend, will see the Guyanese dubbed the ‘Green Machine’ vie for

their eight title. The Women is set to leave on Friday. The women’s team is Latoya Cordis, Collette Hope, Carren Skeete, Sabola Gray, Abioce Heywood,

GCB/NSSCL 2016...

Mohamed leads Parika Salem to EBE Zone title .....Wilson shines for President College A z i m M o h a m e d ’s century and four wicket haul led Parika Salem to victory o v e r Ve r g e n o e g e n Secondary in the East Bank Essequibo Zone final in the 2016 edition of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National Secondary School Cricket League (NSSCL). Playing at Tuschen ground, Parika Salem were asked to take first strike by Vergenoegen who won the toss. Azim Mohamed’s 103 laid the platform for an imposing total of 209 for eight wickets in just 24 overs. Mohamed’s century included 12 fours and a s o l i t a r y s i x . Wa z i m Mohamed had impressive figures of 5/20 bowling for the Vergenoegen boys. Vergenoegen, who won their two previous matches comfortably while chasing, would have fancied their chances chasing again. H o w e v e r, t h e P a r i k a Salem bowlers had other ideas as they quickly wrapped up the Vergenoegen batsmen for just 63 runs in 11.4 overs. Mohamed returned with the ball to take 4/31 to be the leading bowler for Parika Salem. In an East Coast Demerara Zone fixture,

David Wilson of President College.

President College cruised to a five wicket victory over Hope Secondary at Enterprise ground. Hope Secondary batted first and were restricted to 148/8 in 25 overs. Cordel Martins top scored with an unbeaten 47, while Rovin Ramsarup contributed 21. Bowling for President’s College, David Wilson took 3/22.

In reply, President College got to their target with relative ease in the 22nd over losing five wickets in the process. David Wilson capped off an impressive all round game by top scoring with 72. Refal Whittington supported well with 29. Bowling for Hope Secondary, Ramsarup had 3/33.

Richard Staglon Tiffany Pilgrim, Natasha Andrews, Cloetta Dublin, Alicia Mentore, Sasha James, Shonette McFarlane and Ashanti Carrington, while the men’s squad reads Patrick King, Osei

Kevin McKenzie

McKenzie, Avery Corbin, Rickford Cummings, Ryan Gonsalves, Dwayne Schroeder, Blaize Bailey, Richard Staglon, Peabo Hamilton, Claudius Butts, Kevin Mc Kenzie, Ronald

Mayers, Lancelot Adonis and Vallon Adams. Management is Petal Adams, Robin Roberts, Theodore Henry, Barrington Brown, Abiola Blair and Kenneth Grant- Stuart.

Pollard granted No Objection Certificate - WICB BRIDGETOWN, B a r b a d o s , C M C - We s t Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the upcoming Ram Slam T20 competition in South Africa, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) confirmed yesterday. The confirmation from WICB president Michael Muirhead contradicts an earlier report from ESPN Cricinfo stating that Pollard was denied a NOC for the tournament starting on Friday. During an interview on Massy United Insurance’s Line & Length Network, Muirhead said it was never the Board’s intention not to grant Pollard an NOC, but rather explain to him why the process on this occasion was taking longer than usual. “It was not denying him any NOC it was explaining to him why it was taking longer. Normally we would have responded so in seven days he would have gotten it,” explained Muirhead. “But I think it went over. But before the seven days expired I said let me explain to him why it is taking a little longer time and it is because we have written to all the boards , the presidents and CEOs”. W I C B ’s l e t t e r t o presidents and CEOs of all the ICC Full Member boards

Kieron Pollard

has notified them of its new policy to impose a 20 percent levy on the contract fees of its players taking part in T20 tournaments overseas. Cricinfo reported that Muirhead’s letter to Pollard had informed him that permission would not be granted to him until various boards featuring Caribbean players in their Domestic T20 tournaments agree with WICB’s new policy. Muirhead appears to be suggesting that the NOC granted to Pollard, who signed a two-year contract with Cape Cobras last

season, is conditional. “We are awaiting a response so we know the timing that’s on it so if we did not receive it from them we would respond to Kieron and provide the NOC weather it be conditional… with the conditions that we explained to him that we are expecting Cricket South Africa to honour a release fee or we are going to defer it,” Muirhead told Line & Length Network. “It’s something on the table and we want to negociate with it. That’s why it is dynamic; it is just the point in time that we responded to Kieron”.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

RHTY&SC/Beharry Say NO 5/5 Cricket Tournament

RHT Bakewell ‘A’ win Lower Corentyne Zone – Courtland and Bakewell ‘B’ also advance to Grand Finals

Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’ team. The Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’ team led by Major James Fraser defeated their junior Bakewell ‘B’ counterparts in the Lower Corentyne Zone finals to win the Zone title in the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club/Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd Say NO/Say YES 5/5 Cricket Tournament. The Zone tournament was played on Sunday last at the Area ‘H’ Ground in-front of a large and colourful crowd. Rose Hall Bakewell ‘A’, Courtland and Rose Hall Town ‘B’ also advanced to the finals of the tournament which would be played from each sub-zone – West B e r b i c e , N e w Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne would advance to the overall finals and a chance to win the championship prize of $150,000.00 and a trophy. Blairmont, Cotton Tree and D’ Edward ‘A’ have already a d v a n c e d f r o m We s t Berbice. R o s e H a l l To w n Bakewell ‘B’ made up of mostly junior players of the RHTY&SC, M.S batted first in the finals and were

restricted to 26 for 3 off their allotted overs as off spinners Kevlon Anderson, Junior Williams and Kevin Sinclair took a wicket a piece. RHT ‘A’ raced to 26 for 1.2 overs with Junior Sinclair 11 and Troy Mathieson 10 being the main scorers. Rose Hall Town ‘A’ had earlier defeated Courtland in the lone semi-finals. Batting first after losing the toss, Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’ amassed 64 for 2 with Kevon Sinclair hitting 30 not out and Khemraj Mahadeo 20 not out. In response, Courtland were restricted to 43 for 2 as the Rose Hall Town bowlers led by national under-19 pacer Sylus Tyndall, bowled tightly. Leroy Bristol top scored for Courtland with 18 not out. In the first round, Courtland got past Tamarind Root ‘A’ by 10 wickets, Toopoo ‘A’ beat Toopoo ‘B’ by 20 runs, RHT ‘B’ easily defeated Tamarind Root ‘B’ by 10 wickets, while Rose Hall Town ‘A’ trashed Belvedere by 50 runs. Fyrish drew the bye in the first round as the Guysuco Training Centre team did not

turn up. In the second round, Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘B’ crushed Toopoo ‘A’ by 9 wickets while Rose Hall Town ‘A’ cruised pass Fyrish by 26 runs. Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster hailed the Lower Corentyne Zone as a huge success and praised the nine teams for

their overall discipline and high standard of play. Foster at the opening ceremony was part of the massive RHTY&SC and Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd Say NO and Say YES campaign. The main objective is to promote the Say NO to Drugs, Suicide, Crime and Say Yes to Education, Life and

Sports message to every youth across the ancient county. The long serving Secretary/CEO urged the Clubs to get actively involved in the campaign and for every cricketer to be a positive role model to every youth in their community. Foster spoke widely on

the abuse of alcohol among youths and the negative effect it has on their lives. He also expressed gratitude to the Management of Beharry for their investment into the campaign. Each of the teams received several copies of t h e C l u b ’s Yo u t h Information Booklet and Say No/Say Yes posters.

WICB defends plan to impose 20% levy on T20 stars ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has defended its decision to impose a 20 per cent levy on the contract fees of its T20 stars playing in overseas domestic tournaments, saying revenue raised will be used to aid the development of players in the territories. A statement from the WICB released yesterday morning, says some of the funds will be disbursed as an incentive for territories to “expose new cricket talent”. The unprecedented move by the WICB proposed to take 20 per cent of T20 players’ contract fees in exchange for a NoObjection Certificate to compete in overseas T20 tournaments. “A portion of these funds derived from these release fees will also go back to the c l u b s a n d franchises/territories in recognition of the role they played in developing the

player and as an incentive for them to continuously expose new cricket talent,” the statement said. “The WICB earlier this year distributed player production fees to all the territories/franchises and clubs from which players came from”. The WICB says it has communicated its new policy to the CEOs and Presidents of all ICC Full Members. The Statement says that so far India and Bangladesh have agreed to the release fees. However, there are reports that WICB’s new policy has been rejected by Cricket South Africa and there has been no response yet from the Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia. “The WICB is in the process of discussions with the various Full Members as to the other boards’ acceptance of that position. The dialogue is

WICB president Dave Cameron

ongoing and we wait on official word,” said the statement. “In addition to India, Bangladesh has also agreed to the release fees. The practice is also used in other jurisdictions like England”. The Federation of Internat i o n a l P l a y e r s ’ Association (FICA) has condemned the move and has threatened legal action against the WICB. Insignia Sports, who manages all-rounders Kieron Pollard, Darren

Sammy, Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle among others, also plans to challenge the WICB move. “WICB understands that this policy decision may result in reciprocal agreements from other Full Member boards for obtaining NOCs for their players,” said the WICB statement. “ We v i e w t h i s approach as necessary to preserve the best interests of West Indies cricket at both domestic and international levels”.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

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Fitness Express and Bumper to Bumper support bodybuilders

Janet Alphonso of Bumper to Bumper presents sponsorship to Videsh Sookram. The highly anticipated Stage of Champions, which will feature bodybuilders a n d m e n ’s p h y s i q u e exponents from Guyana being challenged by their

coun t e r p a r t s f r o m Trinidad, Suriname and Barbados among other countries, received the support of Fitness Express and Bumper to

Manager of Fitness Express Jamie Mc Donald (left) hands over the sponsorship to Videsh Sookram. Bumper. Promoter of the event, Videsh Sookram who is also the Organising Secretary of the Guyana Amateur Body Building and Fitness

Federation (GABBFF) which has sanctioned the Show along with the Caribbean Body Building and Fitness Federation said he is

grateful to both entities for their support. Janet Alphonso of Bumper to Bumper and Jamie Mc Donald of Fitness Express both noted their

delight at being able to support the show which is set for the Theatre Guild, Parade Street on Saturday November 19th, 2016.

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Wednesday November 09, 2016

Griffith confident Jaguars can roar to three in a row As Regional season bowls off on Friday

The players warm up with a game of Rugby. (Sean Devers photo) By Sean Devers Manager and Assistant Coach of the Guyana Jaguars, Rayon Griffith is confident the Jaguars can make it a hat-trick of Regional First-Class titles at the end of this season which starts on Friday when Guyana Jaguars oppose Jamaica Scorpions at Providence. This year Leon Johnson joined Clive Lloyd, Roger Harper and Carl Hooper as Guyana Captains to win two First-Class titles but is the only one of the three to lift t h e Tr o p h y t w i c e i n consecutive years. Strangely asked to open the batting for the West Indies after scoring the most

runs (803) in the 2016 R e g i o n a l To u r n a m e n t batting in the middle order, Johnson leads the side which has won nine titles since sponsored Regional First Class cricket began in 1966. The Jaguars team include five players with Test experience including Shiv Chanderpaul and the 37-year-old Griffith, who took 56 wickets from 22 First-Class matches between 2000 and 2007, said the players began training for the new season about a month after the end of last season. Most of the players participated in the GCB three-day Franchise League which provided them with regular match-practice.

Rajendra Chandrika cuts Keon Joseph into the net at Providence. (Sean Devers photo) “The entire training squad is a happy bunch and is basically the same core group we had over the last couple of seasons which are among the critical reasons

Chairman of Selectors and Jaguars’ Manager Rayon Griffith and Clive Grimmond one of the Academy Coaches at Providence. (Sean Devers Photo) that we have done so well over the last two years. We enjoy each other’s company and playing cricket,” Coach Griffith pointed out. While the players began

Experienced Chanderpaul included, no place for Beaton, Fudadin, Hemraj or Hooper Miller to lead Jamaica, Trevon Griffith included By Sean Devers The Rayon Griffith led National selection panel has come up a Jaguars’ team to face Jamaica Scorpions from Friday at Providence which has not too many surprises and includes five players w i t h Te s t e x p e r i e n c e including the experienced Shiv Chanderpaul. The team also includes four players who were a part of the West Indies ‘A’ team squad which toured Sri Lanka. Leon Johnson will hope to lead Guyana to a third straight title, while ‘A’ team left-hander Vishaul Singh is again the ViceCaptain. Pacer Ronsford Beaton and batsman Assad Fudadin who were also in Sri Lanka with the ‘A’ were not selected as was Chanderpaul Hemraj, the leading run scorer in the GCB three-day League or off-spinner Eon Hooper, who claimed the

Shiv Chanderpaul is back for another First Class season and his experience is valuable to Guyana’s success. (Sean Devers photo) most wickets in the League and also had a five-wicket haul in the practice match which was used to pick the team. Chanderpaul will have another chance to bat with his son in First-Class cricket since 20-year-old opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul has also been selected. Shiv Chanderpaul has 17

centuries and 27 fifties for Guyana in 74 First-Class matches for Guyana since making his debut in 1992 and the 42-year-old former West Indies Captain will hope to be the glue that holds the middle order together. Johnson, last season’s leading run-scorer, will expect support from Singh, the two Chanderpauls,

Rajendra Chandrika, West Indies U-19 Captain Shemron Hetymer, Raymon Reifer and Anthony Bramble. The slow nature of the Providence track caused the selectors to pick only two pacers in Keon Joseph and left-arm seamer Reifer. Without an off-spinner, all (Continued on page 31)

training early the Coaching staff and trainers did not want to overwork them so a balance was maintained and those who participated in the League had less intense workouts. Griffith said Devendra Bishoo is bowling really well again and his confidence should be high coming off good performances in the UAE where West Indies played Pakistan in a three Test series. “Shiv (Chanderpaul) has a wealth of experience and the batsmen should learn a lot from his presence in the team. Vishu a l ( S i n g h ) continues to show the type of temperament needed for four-day cricket and was successful in Sri L a n k a w i t h t h e We s t Indies ‘A’ team. Shemron (Hetymer) also did well in Sri Lanka,” said Griffith, the Assistant Coach in Sri Lanka. According to Griffith, everyone is fit and available and ready to go and is putting in the hard work so that at the end of the season the team should be able to reap success. The selectors had all their options open to them since no Guyanese were picked for the Tri-Nation ODI series involving West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Talking about his first

experience in Sri Lanka, Griffith said that he learned a lot from being involved in coaching players from different cultures and Islands and was proud that the team did so well. “The facilities there for cricket are very good but the climatic conditions is exceedingly hot and the spicy food was quite an experience for me. Overall I am happy that the ‘A’ team’s performance put smiles to the faces of West Indians at a time when our senior team is not doing as well as the fans w o u l d l i k e , ” G r i ff i t h concluded. Rohan Kanhai leading Guyana to its first title in 1973, Clive Lloyd was Captain in 1975 & 1983 when Guyana won the title, Roger Harper was Skipper in 1987 & 1993 when this nation emerged Champions, while Carl Hooper was at the helm of the 1998 & 2002 winning teams. Johnson is well positioned to become the first Captain to win three Titles in a row for Guyana. Barbadian Clyde Walcott, who worked in the local Sugar Industry at that time, led British Guiana to the 1956, 1961 & 1964 titles. J a m a i c a ’s Ta m a r Lambert holds the record for the Captain to win the most successive Regional FirstClass Titles, a feat he achieved from 2009-2013.

Wednesday November 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Hamilton Green Linden could become most successful 82nd Birthday team at National Schools’ Championships 9-a-side football starts November 20

Hamilton Green The 82nd birthday 9-a-side football tournament in recognition of former Prime Minister of Guyana and Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, will kick off on November 20 at the Den Amstel ground on the West Demerara. Mr. Green celebrates his birthday today November 9. The event is organised by Former National Football player and Coach, Lennox Arthur, who has been organising football programmes in honour of Mr. Green’s birth anniversary for over 30 years now. Twenty-four teams have been invited to compete in the two night tournament which will be played entirely at the Den Amstel ground on the Westside. Action on Sunday November 20 starts at 3:00pm and all the teams will be in action on opening night with the winners advancing to the second and final night on Sunday November 27 at the same venue. The opening fixtures will see Golden Grove vs Kuru Kururu, Golden Warriors vs Mocha, Wales vs Grove, Sara Lodge vs West Ruimveldt, Vegae Boys vs Road Warrior, Goed Fortuin vs Sparta Family, Jetty Gunners vs E Field Sophia, Stewartville vs South Sophia, Pouderoyen vs Tucville, Crane vs Alexander Village, Uitvlugt vs Herstelling and Den Amstel vs Soesdyke. Mr. Green has been an avid sports aficionado over the years and has supported in various ways. Due to his efforts over time, Arthur decided to recognise him on his birthday with a football tournament. Mr. Green served as Prime Minister during the Forbes Burnham PNC government.

Only an upset from North Georgetown, its familiar foe, or any other team can prevent Upper Demerara/Kwakwani, District 10, from becoming the most successful team in the history of the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships. A common rivalry will continue in the coming weeks with the National Schools’ Championships fast approaching. The clash b e t w e e n U p p e r Demerara/Kwakwani, District 10, Linden, and North Georgetown, District 11 will unfold. The 56th edition of the National Schools’ Championships, commonly known as ‘Nationals’, will be held at three venues. In fact the theme displayed on the banner this year is “One Week, Three Venues, One Big Championships” for the November 21-25 showdown. The track and field competition will be held at the National Stadium, Providence from Tuesday, November 22-25. The Opening Ceremony will also be held on November 22 at the Stadium. The swimming competition is set for the National Aquatics Centre, Liliendaal on Monday, November 21 with the cycling event being held concurrently at the National Park. Linden is the current overall champs, drawing level with North Georgetown on 14 titles last year. It means that in the 56year history of the Championships, the two teams have won 28 times with Linden looking to become the most successful team this year with 15 titles.

Compton Ceasar

Chantoba Bright

Daniel Williams In reality though, there are 13 other Districts in the battle but District 10 poses the biggest chance of winning the title. Known for an ability to produce quality junior athletes, Linden remains high on the hope that it will win overall again. The team, gifted with great sprinters and field events athletes, will look to C o m m o n w e a l t h Yo u t h finalist, Compton Caesar, to lead the charge. In addition to Caesar, The CARIFTA Games double silver medalist, Chantoba Bright is

Xanyah Melville also expected to make a great impact on the field events in both the long and triple jumps. Shauntel Hinds takes over the reins from Cassey George and Cassie Kirton in the middle and the distance events, while Kelanie Griffith has been in superb form as well. In the younger age categories, Upper Demerara has found the talented Xanyah Melville and Daniel Williams, who are two upcoming phenoms. The Games Village will be established on Woolford

Avenue. Tutorial High, North Georgetown Primary and Secondary Schools and Richard Ishmael Secondary will house the 15 Districts from across Guyana that will c o m p e t e a t t h e Championships. The Games Secretariat has been officially opened at GTU Headquarters, Woolford Avenue with Districts submitting their entries. As at the launch of the Championships last week, only District Nine entry was outstanding. All others were submitted.

t r o Sp Diamond Mineral Water 2016 Indoor Hockey Festival launched…

Increased prize monies attracting more overseas teams

GHB President Philip Fernandes poses with sponsor’s reps (from left)- Ansa McAl’s Robert Hiscock, DDL’s Larry Wills and GHB officials Tricia Fiedtkou and Devon Hooper yesterday.

Superbike category promises scorching showdown CMRC Final Leg

-top riders arrive from USA, UK for Team Mohamed

Members of Team Mohamed pose for a photo op yesterday in the pits at the South Dakota Circuit.

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